The Other Half
by SoundGeare
Summary: Curly nearly drowns after fighting the Core, and while Quote brings her to safety, he starts to realize how he really feels for her.
1. Chapter 1

Right now I'm underwater. I've been there for a few minutes at least, I've lost track. I don't need to worry about drowning anymore, though, because I have an air tank, and it lets me stay down here as long as I need to. I'm safe, not from the monsters or the spikes, but safe from drowning, because she isn't.

Curly, that's the name of the unconscious girl tied to my back. She saved me when I knew I was going to die, but I'm safe because she isn't. That air tank, the one that's keeping me alive, it used to be hers. I was her air tank just a few minutes ago, but then it happened.

It was a grueling fight, me and Curly, our few weapons and skills we'd picked up, versus this thing. Huge, it took up most of the cavern's space. It barely left room for us to maneuver. Burning bolts of pure shining energy were being catapulted toward us so fast that we barely had time to get out of the way. And if it wasn't enough that this thing was so obviously stronger than both of us together, the room was half full of water.

Back then I didn't have this air tank, and the water was a real problem for me. Gushing up from grates in the floor, before I knew it I was several dozen yards underwater. My lungs seized up tight and I had to fight to get to the surface. Before something, bad, happened.

We beat that thing, as I said it was a grueling fight, but it was a fight we won. The thing was on the other side of the room, laying in a smoking heap.

"We," Curly said, barely believing her own words, "We did it?"

She was leaning up against one of the chest high chunks of debris that littered the room. She was panting, obviously tired from the fight. Finally standing still, I realized I was probably just as exhausted as her. I rested my worn body against an adjacent piece of rubble, sweat was dripping down my face.

I let loose a breathless chuckle and said, "Yeah, I guess we did." At this point I coughed. A few drops of water left my body and flew onto the already soaked ground. "What do we do now?"

It took a few seconds for her to answer.

"I don't know, I guess this room is a dead end. We've still gotta get outa this place."

"Yeah…"

Neither of us moved, just rested, catching our breaths. I looked up at Curly, her hair was wet and stringy, flowing down over her face. It looked nice in a way.

"What do you think we'll do after this?" I asked suddenly.

"Look for the Doctor," She said, "Make him pay."

"No I mean, like after the Doctor. After all of this. After the Mimiga are safe. What do you think we'll do then?"

"Oh, as long as the Colons are fine I'll probably go back to my house in the Sand zone. What about you?"

"I don't know. I mean it feels like I know you better than anyone on the island, but I barely even know you. All I've done since I woke up is chase after the Doctor in one way or another."

"That's, that's gotta be tough. But hey, you could probably stay with me. I know what you mean, I don't even know your name but I feel like I know you. We should probably stick together after this."

"Yeah, that'd be nice." I said, "Well if there's gunna be an after we should probably get a move on."

"Yeah, let's get outa here." Curly said with a smile. She had such a nice smile.

"What a nice little talk you two have had."

I jerked my head around and there was that witch, Misery.

"Her you're the witch that tossed me down here, those children had better be alright!" Curly said with a growl in her voice.

"Oh they're just fine." Misery said before letting out a hideous laugh. "Just about as fine as everyone would be if you'd actually managed to kill the core."

"The core?""

Misery sighed, "That thing over there," She pointed a single hand at the creature's smoldering remains. "If you actually managed to kill it you'd destroy this entire island. Good thing you're trivial attacks only wounded it."

Beside Misery, another form started to materialize.

"Is that the core down there?" it asked.

"Yes doctor, and those two beat it up pretty bad."

"The doctor!" Me and Curly shouted.

I reached for the gun at my belt, the Polar Star. Beside me I heard Curly snap the safety off on her machine gun. In less than a second we both had our guns aimed and we were pulling the triggers.

Misery just pointed her hand at us and I heard a click.

The gun in my hands exploded, throwing me to the ground and leaving me weaponless. The first thing I did was roll over and say, "Curly are you okay?"

That was when I realized she wasn't directly beside me. Suddenly panicked, I jumped to my feet and looked around, ignoring the two figures in the air.

It didn't take long to find her, apparently her larger gun had created a larger explosion, throwing her farther away. She was about ten feet back, her head leaning against a rock. I ran to her and tried to help her up, but she didn't say anything, just lay there with her eyes closed. She must've been unconscious.

I turned to the Doctor and Misery, reaching my King's blade as I did so.

The core was floating alongside the two, and the Doctor was saying something to Misery. Acting quickly I hurled the sword toward them, but it was too late. A moment before the blade dug into him, the Doctor disappeared, then the core. Finally it was just Misery.

She laughed, "Good luck with your girlfriend." She said in a bitter tone.

"She's not my-"then I saw it. The sword that had narrowly missed the doctor was coming back around, and Misery was in its path.

"What! What are you looking at?" Misery demanded. She spun around, and seeing the incoming weapon, she tried to move out of its path. But she wasn't fast enough, and the sword cut a deep gash in one of her legs.

She screamed as the blade cut her. Turning to me with fury in her eyes, "Nevermind your girlfriend! Have fun with this!" She pointed her hand toward the ground and water started to bubble up from the grates.

It was coming fast, already I was submerged up to my waist. I looked away from the water and saw that Misery was already gone, all that remained was her laughter echoing through the room.

I started to run, but then I remembered Curly. She was still unconscious, and the water was about to rise above her head. I picked her up in my arms, and started to run. First I climbed up some of the rubble so that I was out of the water if only for a moment.

I ran toward the door, and even as I neared it started to close. I ran as fast as I could but it still wasn't enough. I reached the door just as it slid shut. The water was at my ankles even though I was on a higher level. There was only one more level and the water obviously wasn't going to stop before it reached that level.

So I stopped, I just sat down with my back against some debris and held Curly in my arms, waiting. The water was over my head before I knew it. Curly's hair was floating and I could see her face. It seemed like she was just asleep, but that was sorta right, wasn't it?

I could feel the air in my lungs start to dissipate. My chest started hurt and my eyes were burning from the submersion. Why did it have to end like this? I hadn't been able to stop the doctor, hadn't been able to fix anything. The best thing I'd done since I got here was get Santa his housekey back.

My vision was starting to blur. I couldn't see anything farther away than a few feet. So I just looked down and focused on Curly's face. At least if I was going to die, the last thing I would see was going to be Curly's face. And the only thing better than being with Curly right then, would've been if Curly was still in the Sand zone. Still in her house with all of the Colons. Still safe.

I looked down at her face, and wasting some of my precious air, I said, "I'm sorry Curly." The bubbles floated away from my lips and I'm sure that she didn't hear me. Wouldn't have heard me even if she was awake.

I pulled her close to me, looked down at her face as I slowly blacked out. And even though the whole world had turned dark, I could still see her in my head.

* * *

I woke up some time later. I don't know how long, it didn't really matter. All that mattered was the figure on the ground next to me. Curly was unconscious, still unconscious. But I could breath and that puzzled me. I could feel air in my lungs and I realized that I was wearing some sort of air tank. I looked down at Curly, and realized that her air tank was missing.

I realized what she had done, and if I wasn't underwater I would have cried.

I grabbed her by the shoulders. "Curly!" I shouted. She had to be alive. She just had to be. I shook her and shouted again, wasting the air that she had given me. Then I was crying, the tears weren't visible but I could feel it. I felt like I'd lost something, like I was half of a person and I was holding the other half in my arms and she was dead. Dead. No she couldn't be dead. If she was dead I couldn't go on, I just couldn't.

But I saw something, a vein in her neck pulse, her chest move, maybe I heard her heartbeat. But suddenly I knew she was alive. And I knew that there was still a chance for her to be okay. Pulling out a rope with shaking hands, I tied her to me, because I didn't was anything to separate us. The rope connected us but I still held her in my arms, because if I could see her, I knew that she was really there and that I could really save her.

The door had opened, and I went through it. Somewhere ahead I would find a way to save her. I was going to get her to wake up, get her to be okay. Because if she died, then I'd just be half of something. And it wouldn't be the same. Nothing would be the same without Curly. Even though I'd just met her, I felt like I knew her my whole life.

* * *

I really hope you liked this. I played Cave Story just a few days ago, and when I got to this part I wanted to cry because I didn't have to tow rope. So I started my entire game over just so she wouldn't die. And I really wanted to write a story about it the moment I saved her because it made me feel all fuzzy and sad and emotional and stuff. Anyway, here it is. Please review and let me know what you think of it. I plan to go through the whole game but in a different order using flashbacks and stuff so keep reading. I'll try to update regularly. Thanks for reading, huzzah! :)


	2. Chapter 2

Hey I'm back. Sorry that this chapter is about half the length of the first one, but it is now one in the morning and I need to wake up at four thirty for my commute. And I won't have internet access for a few days, so I'm giving you what I've got and hopefully I can have another full chapter to you this weekend. This chapter isn't actually too bad, it's just kinda short in my opinion, hope you like it (I've done a great job of selling it haven't I?). Please review so you can let me know if you did or didn't like it.

* * *

It's been a few hours since we fought the core. A few hours since I almost drowned and Curly sacrificed herself in my stead.

I've been carrying her with me since then because the steady beating in her chest lets me know that she's still alive. And as long as her heart is still beating, I know she's going to be okay. Because I'm going to make sure of it, otherwise I don't know what I'll do with myself. But she's still here with me, so I should be fine as long as she is.

After swimming through all those underground caverns full of strong currents and sharp rocks, I began to feel weak. No matter how much I forced myself to go on, I knew I would need to rest sometime soon, or else I would succumb to my exhaustion.

Luckily, I found what seemed to be an abandoned cabin. I stumbled through the doorway and kicked it shut behind me. It could barely hold my eyes open as I neared the single bed in the far corner. I collapsed across the thick blanket, being careful not to land on Curly, and soon joined her in unconsciousness.

Groggily I awoke sometime later. Curly was beside me, still unconscious, but she seemed to be breathing easier. Moving slowly I got out of the bed, only to stumble across the room and fall into an adjacent arm chair.

Slowly becoming aware of my tremendous exhaustion, I realized there was no way I could continue immediately. It seemed we would be staying in that cabin for a while longer, at least a day if not more.

Knowing I couldn't stand up, I just sat there and watched Curly sleep. Where her unconsciousness had been frightening before, she seemed calm now. As if she was simply resting instead of involuntarily comatose.

And as I sat there and looked at what could possibly be my only friend, watched her lay there inert and oblivious, I started to wonder, how did I get myself into this? Aside from the few genuinely enjoyable moments I had spent with Curly, this whole adventure had seemed like one big nightmare.

Those first moments were still a blur in my mind, I was in some sort of cave. Damp, dank, dark, dreary, those were the only words that could describe my first few moments of consciousness.

* * *

Opening my eyes I peered around the cavern. Small, was one word to describe it, the one that came to mind was claustrophobic. My chest seemed tight and my heart was beating fast. But that might have just been from the panic and confusion, but I think the size of the room played a part in that.

Running my hands over the smooth walls, I found something round that seemed like it could be a doorknob. Turning it, I found that it was a doorknob.

I stumbled into the next room and looked around. I could feel movement around me, but I couldn't see anything. Some paranoia struck me as I heard a noise behind me.

I swung around to find the source, but the only thing I accomplished was to trip over something and begin a terrifying downhill tumble. The sound came again, only this time it whooshed past me only to be lost in the terrible blackness behind me. Something caught on my skin and tore a long straight gash across my left arm. I could feel blood dripping from the wound, but before I could do anything, the ground gave out beneath me.

Falling, vertically this time, the air felt cold as it swept by me. I was probably screaming, but the only thing I could hear was the flapping sounds all around me. Suddenly the air got a lot colder, and I realized it was water not air, and I couldn't breathe in water.

Splaying my arms out frantically, I struggled to the surface only to be assaulted by a legion of small furry things. The fight is short-lived, though, since I was able to escape the things. Whatever they were, this place must be full of them.

Sneaking through the dim cave, I followed the slight curves of the tunnel. Soon I was face to face with another door. Going through I found an old man who seemed to be sleeping. Behind him, I saw a gun laying on a table.

Thinking about those things that had attacked me earlier, I quietly pocketed the gun. I made a mental note to try and reimburse this old man for the gun. But for some reason it seemed like he might have more of them somewhere.

With the gun in my possession (an inscription on the barrel labeled it the Polar Star, so that's what I called it), I made short work of those flying swarms. In just a few minutes I had backtracked through the cave and was standing face to face with a door.

Literally, it was looking at me.

A few shots from the Polar Star ended its reign of angry staring, and left me with a proper door. Stepping through this new doorway, I quickly realized there wasn't a floor in the next room.

And then I was falling again.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm still sitting in the chair.

It's probably been a few hours. Curly is looking like she might wake up any minute. So now its just a waiting game. I'm pretty sure she is fine, but I don't want to move her until she wakes up and I can ask her.

Unlike the bed, she is completely dry now. Her breathing is slow and steady, reassuring me of her well being constantly. My eyelids are feeling heavy now. I've only been awake for twenty or thirty minutes, but I feel exhausted.

I let my eyes slide closed, knowing that I should rest as much as I can while I am able. Because once we leave this cabin, we'll be heading back into the labyrinthine system of caves and tunnels filled with all types of dangerous creatures.

Soon I drift into a deep and restful sleep

* * *

I wake up suddenly to the sound of Curly's voice. It is flat and droning, unlike I've ever heard it before. Usually her voice is filled with cheery life, excitement, and compassion. Right now it seems dead and monotonous.

"Refreshing memory banks…" She says.

I sit up in the chair and rub the grogginess from my eyes. She begins to talk again and I listen intently.

"Earliest audio entry loading… Loading…" She trails off, then suddenly her normal voice is speaking. "I, I don't know where I am. What is this place?" She sounds scared, lonely. "What are these things everywhere? Ouch! One of them bit me!"

I listen to the sounds of a struggled, then I hear a string of loud blasts that sound a lot like Curly's machine gun.

She starts to speak again, her words punctuated by deep exhausted breaths, "I, think it's dead. I killed it. I killed it!" There was a slight quiver in her voice.

She's silent, and now I'm listening to the sounds of her navigating the sand zone. I can hear the sand and gravel crunching beneath her feet. The wind howls through the barren cavern.

"Hey! Are you okay? Are you all alone out here? Come on, don't be afraid. I won't hurt you." Suddenly I hear the sounds of Curly running, she is following something. After a short chase, another voice pipes up. It is high pitched and childlike.

One of the Colons.

I listen to her befriending the Colons, overhearing how she came to be their protector.

It isn't long before I hear her mention me.

She refers to me simply as the other robot. I listen to our first encounter, and I must admit, from her perspective I did seem ominous.

I listen to her hurrying back to the Colons, desperate to protect them from the menacing newcomer. I listen to the imminent fight, then the sound of me overcoming the combined might of Curly and the Colons. I listen to Curly bitterly admit defeat. Then I hear the joy in her voice once she realizes I am not a threat.

Soon I hear myself leave the hut in search of the red flowers.

She is quiet for a while, emitting only the sounds of the desert lodge. Breathing, the wind outside, the Colons playing nearby. Then I hear her whisper, "I hope he's okay…"

* * *

I've been listening for a few hours, taking in Curly's firsthand account of the past few days.

Everything seemed calm when suddenly there was a strange sound. Like a crackling fire that burst to life then faded away in the space of a second.

I can tell someone has entered the lodge because Curly screams, "Who are you?"

A single word that I am dreading, it sends chills up my spine.

"Misery." Then there is a bloodcurdling cackle that fades off into the distance.

I hear Curly gasp, then I recognized the familiar sounds of the labyrinth. The scuttling of the cockroach creatures, the stale dripping of far off water, the hollow echo of every sound.

"Hello? Is there anyone there?" She asks hesitantly.

I hear something scratching, growling. Suddenly I hear Curly's machine gun firing. One of the cockroaches, I assume, screeches as it dies. I listen to the sound of Curly's running footsteps, the incessant sound of her machine gun, and the death sounds of the cockroaches. But hear more living cockroaches than dead.

Curly screams, and again, and again. At first I am confused, then I realize I am listening to the cockroaches attacking her. Putting her in the state she was in when I first found her in the labyrinth.

It pains me to sit here and listen to the agony she went through. Finally the screaming stops and there is no sound at all.

Just silence.

It is ominous and I am beginning to fear something has gone wrong, when suddenly Curly starts talking again. "Huh? What's going on? Who are you?" She demands quickly.

"Calm down, I'm Dr. Gero, and this is Nurse Hasumi. This is a field hospital we've…"

Curly cuts him off, "The Doctor! I'll get you for what you did!"

I hear a short fight break out, and it seems to end with Curly being sedated. She doesn't speak again for a while, but when she does, she seems to have healed somewhat.

"I, I'm sorry about before." She apologizes to who I assume is Dr. Gero, "I don't know what got into me. I wasn't thinking straight."

"That's quite alright. You were delirious before, but you should be healed completely within a couple of hours. It's all thanks to this young man here."

Maybe he gestured toward me at that point, I have no way of knowing. If my memory serves me right, I was sound asleep in the bed opposite Curly's.

"Oh, I guess they got you too, huh?" She says, "Well don't worry, I'll go ahead and find a way out of here."

I hear the bedsprings decompress, then a door slams and Curly seems to be back in the fray. The sound of her machine gun never stops, constantly droning away and killing off an unknown number of the cockroaches.

After a long period of nonstop combat, Curly grows silent except for her heavy breathing. She catches her breath, then there is nearly complete silence.

Until I show up that is.

I hear a door slam, then my voice shouting excitedly, "Curly! You're okay."

Curly laughs, "Yeah, it'll take more than that to do me in."

We laugh for a moment, then I say, "So, you got any idea how to get out of here?"

"I think we need to go this way, but its blocked by a huge rock. Maybe we can move it if the two of us work together."

I hear some grunting, then silence.

"I think it's too heavy, even for the both of us."

She sighs.

"Huzzah!"

This must be the part where Balrog dropped down from nowhere. "Hey! Aren't you two supposed to stay here like good little robots?"

"Come and help us move this." Curly said to the giant toaster thing.

A moment of silence, then Balrog says, "Fine…"

Within a second, though, his mind has changed and I can hear the sizzling sound of a missile flying through the air. Curly isn't able to get out of the way in time, and it knocks her unconscious.

Silence.

Then sound returns and we are fighting our way through the monster's den. All I can hear is the sounds of our guns, and the sounds made by the various monsters. It takes a long time, but eventually we reach the other side of the cavern.

Water is dripping from the ceiling, I can hear it. We're walking through deep puddles of water and I can still see the ripples floating across the water's surface.

I hear the clicks, snaps, beeps, and bangs of the next room's doors and hatches opening.

Then we step into the Core's chamber. I can still remember exactly what it sounded like in there. The room was so big that sound traveled a few feet then dissipated. The light was poor and if we weren't robots outfitted for the situation, we would be doomed.

I listen to the conversation Curly has with the damaged robot. It explodes in her face and she is silenced momentarily. But before a minute has passed, she is back in the game. Firing upon the giant creature, we fight until it is nothing but a smoking mass of ruined green flesh.

The next part is just as I remember. Misery appearing, Curly being knocked unconscious, King's blade cutting Misery, then the water gushing into the room.

But I hear one thing I didn't experience for myself.

Curly wakes up underwater and, thanks to her advanced air tank, can breath easily underwater. A moment later she realizes that I cannot.

Even hearing it for myself and holding the proof I still don't quite believe that this actually happened. I hear Curly fiddle with something mechanical for a moment, then she is whispering.

"I, just don't know what I'd do. I'm sorry."

I can tell the water is filling up her lungs because she is coughing uncontrollably.

"Bye," she chokes out, "Good luck…"

Then all I hear is the shifting of the water currents.

I stare at Curly, listening to the recorded sound emanating from her mouth, thinking about what I'll say when she wakes up. How I could thank her. And how could I tell her I wish she hadn't done what she did, even if it was to save me. How to tell her how important she is to me, how much she means to me.

I don't know how I'll say it, but Curly is so important that if I had lost her, I don't think I would be able to keep going.

But how do I tell her that?

* * *

Well, how'd you like it? Review and let me know. Please?


	4. Chapter 4

I've been sitting here listening to the sounds of the river for a while now. A twofold soundtrack, the actual river and the recording of the river that Curly is playing back.

The doubled sounds faded into one another a while ago and all I'm hearing now is white noise.

I'm still feeling tired, from the river, from the fighting, from everything. But I think Curly is going to wake up soon and I want to be awake.

Suddenly Curly's recording of the river cut out and she was silent.

There was an odd buzzing sound that emanated from her lips, then her eyes opened and she began to speak.

At first it was just a wordless moan, then she sat up and looked around the room. I could see a look of confusion creasing her face, unsure of where she was and how she got to be here.

"Curly," I said with relief in my voice, "You're awake."

Her head snapped to my direction and she smiled lightly, letting her guard down. "Oh it's you, where are we?"

"A cabin I found. I don't think we're in the labyrinth anymore. It's different, some kind of underground river now. I think we're almost out."

"That's good," She said, "I was starting to get sick of this place anyway."

I laughed, "Yeah, it's good to have you back. I was starting to get worried." I paused for a moment, "Why did you do it? Give me your air tank, I mean."

She didn't say anything for a few moments, seemed to be searching for the right words.

"I, when I saw you there. Unconscious, drowning, probably about to die. I started to panic, and I just did anything I could to make sure you were okay. I guess it worked."

"Yeah, I guess it did." I muttered, thinking about how I'd felt when I saw her in the cave. I would've given her my air tank if things had been different.

"We should probably keep moving, "I said, "I don't know how long we've been down here, but I'm worried about the Mimigas."

"Yeah, me too." Curly agreed. She started to get out of the bed, but her legs collapsed beneath her as soon as she put her weight on them.

I jumped forward out of the chair and caught her before she hit the ground. Lifting her back up to her previous place on the bed I said, "It looks like you're still pretty worn out. I guess we're gunna be stuck here for a little bit longer."

"No," She said, as if to herself, "They need us, the Mimigas. Is there any other way?"

Pulling the tow rope out of my pocket I said, "Well I carried you here with this. I could carry you out with it too. Would that work?"

"Yeah," She said, "Anything that can get us back to the Mimigas"

"Okay," I said, "Well, turn around."

"Uh, okay." Curly said, rolling over on the bed.

I grabbed the hook of the tow rope and started to attach it when Curly said, "Umm, what are you doing?"

Suddenly cheeks started to burn when I realized what I seemed to be doing.

The place where the tow rope connected was in the middle of Curly's back, and I was reaching my hand up her shirt.

I quickly attached the hook then withdrew my hand, "Its, that's where the, umm, hook attaches."

"Oh," She said, starting to laugh, "I thought you were, uh, doing something else."

"Uh, yeah" I murmured, embarrassed, "Sorry about that."

We stood in silence for a moment, neither of us sure of what to say.

"Umm," I said, "There's two sides to the hook, I think there might be a place to attach it on my back too."

"Uh, yeah maybe, "Curly said, "Wait, I thought you used it before. Don't you know?"

"I don't think I used it right. If there is a place to attach it to me, I couldn't find it so I kinda just carried you and held onto the rope with one of my hands to make sure you didn't float away."

"Oh," She said, "Well turn around, let me check."

I did that and then tensed as I felt Curly's hand slip up the back of my shirt. Wow, that must've been weird, especially since she wasn't expecting it.

"Found it," She exclaimed, "Now hand me the hook."

I gave her the other side of the rope and felt her slip the hook into my back. Sometimes it's really weird being a robot.

"Okay, so anything else before we head out?" Curly asked

"No, I don't think so. If you could just hold onto my back and shoot over my shoulder or something that would be great."

"Oh okay" She said resolutely, then suddenly her resolve wavered, "Wait, my gun exploded, and anyway I don't think you brought it with us."

"Oh, well take one of mine." I said, reaching into my backpack and pulling out a couple of my backup weapons. "I've got the bubbler, the fireball, and a blade."

"Well, the other two kinda sound stupid, so I guess I'll take the blade."

I sighed, "Yeah, I figured you'd choose that. I guess I'm stuck with the bubbler." Then I smiled, "But as soon as we get a chance, you're getting a new gun so I can get my sword back."

"Yeah, okay." She smiled, "Well, let's get this over with."

I squatted down next to the bed and felt Curly climb onto my back.

It took a second to regain my balance, but soon we were out in the waterway.

After a cautious 1 2 3, I jumped into the water and started to swim into a nearby tunnel.

* * *

For the most part I didn't have to worry about the monsters in the tunnels since Curly took care of them. I still had difficulty in navigating the powerful current and the sharp rocks, but at least I was rested, and Curly was safe this time.

Walking along the gravelly floor, I felt the strong arms of the water flowing over me, but I knew that I was safe due to Curly's air tank.

At some point in the future, I should probably give that back to her.

But not until after we get out of here.

The floor gave way beneath my feet and I found myself slipping and sliding down a steep precipice and into a gaping void below.

I watched the abyss approaching and found that I was powerless to avoid its hungry mouth. The hole swallowed me and spat me out into another waterlogged tunnel.

The current in this one was strong, sucking us forcibly along with it toward an unknown destination.

"Where are we?" Curly said to herself.

"I don't know," I answered as we shot through the subterranean Jetstream. "But something tells me we won't be here long. Maybe this is the end of the road.

"Yeah, I hope so."

Movement caught the corner of my eye and I struggled to turn toward it. Suddenly something massive shot past us and disappeared from my view.

"What was that?" Curly exclaimed.

"I don't know, but we should have our weapons ready just in case."

"One step ahead of you." Curly said. I could see the blade hovering on the edge of my vision.

"Yeah, be careful with that." I laughed, trying to lighten the situation, "I've got enough to worry about without you chopping my head off from behind."

She let out a small chuckle, "Yeah, yeah, I'll do my best. But if I do, you know, accidentally kill you. You'll forgive me, right?"

I smiled, "Yeah, sure. Let's do this."

I pulled out the bubbler and gratefully realized that it was at full charge, no single dangling bubble today. Well, hopefully.

I stopped swimming and felt myself start to sink to the bottom. As I looked up, I saw the creature swim over us.

Some kind of massive fish with a metallic helmet covering most of its head and face.

Raising the bubbler, I pulled the trigger and watched the barrage of deadly bubbles approach the fish.

Such a stupid weapon.

I watched the bubbles pop and release the damaging shockwaves toward the creature. I felt Curly's weight shift and just moments later the blade was flying toward the fish.

The shockwaves struck first, doing little more than drawing its attention and creating a few small bruises. The sword came close to landing in the creature's chest, but at the last moment the fish moved out of the way and received only a slim scratch on its side.

With a massive flap of its single tail fin, the creature barreled toward us and before I could react the heavy metal helmet smashed into me and sent me sprawling across the gravelly floor.

Clambering back to my feet, albeit unsteadily, I raised my gun again and fire on the creature. A few of the shockwaves tore gashes when they hit the already beaten skin. However, they were only small wounds and couldn't possibly incapacitate a creature of this size.

Curly threw the sword again and this time it gouged a deeper wound and blood began to leak from the gash.

Suddenly Curly grunted with pain and surprise, "What the heck was that?"

She swiveled around, trying to get a better look. I turned around curiously just in time to catch a speeding porcupine fish with my face. The barbs dug into my skin and tore several gashes. Then the fish was gone, swept away by the thunderous current.

A moment after that, I saw the incoming storm of porcupine fish. "Uh, Curly. There's more."

"Yeah, I see them." She muttered.

"What do we do?' I murmured, mesmerized by the quickly approaching wave of pain.

"How about I take care of the shark," Curly said, "And you keep these things off of me."

"Uh, yeah. Good idea."

I loosened the tow rope, giving Curly more room to turn around so she could face the shark. Then I readied myself with the bubbler and began to fire.

I watched the porcupine fish easily pushed aside by the comparatively powerful shockwaves of the bubbler. Well, at least it was good for something.

I became so engrossed with the task of vanquishing the small fish that I was completely surprised and shocked when the shark rammed me from behind.

I flew down to the ground and rolled over several times.

Sitting up I searched around for Curly, and found her laying just a few feet away from me thanks to the tow rope.

I started to stand up, but found that something jerked be back down almost immediately.

I floundered around for a moment, exclaiming, "Agh! Something's got me!"

"Relax!" Curly said, "It's the tow rope, it got caught on something."

"Oh," I said, running my hands along the rope and searched for the knot or tangle that was holding us down.

"Uh," Curly moaned, "The shark, its coming."

I looked up from the rope and saw that the steel headed shark was charging directly toward us.

"Uh oh, hurry." I exclaimed, "Help me get this undone."

We both frantically searched for the place where the rope was stuck, but to no avail.

It seemed as if the rope disappeared at one point then reappeared a few feet later.

Curly glanced up at the shark and saw that it was substantially nearer now. In only seconds it would impact.

I watched her grab both ends of the tow rope in one hand, then hold the sword high with the other.

"Hey Curly! What are you doing!" I cried out.

Pausing in her task, Curly looked up at me for a moment and said, "If it hits us here, we're both goners. I'm saving our lives."

I started to panic. At his point she was probably still too weak to walk on dry land, let alone fight the current and traverse the underwater tunnels. Plus she didn't have her air tank.

"No!" I shouted desperately, "There's gotta be another way. You'll drown! Here, let me give you back your air tank."

She smiled and shook her head, "Can't. We don't have that much time."

I looked back at the shark and saw that it wasn't very far away any longer. We only had seconds before the collision.

Curly cut the rope suddenly, but before the current tore her away I managed to grab her by the shoulders and anchor her to the ground if only for a moment.

All I was able to say was a murmured "No…" I couldn't think of anything except the fact that I'd just gotten her back and now I might lose her all over again. And I might not be able to help her this time.

"Don't worry," She said, "I'll be okay."

"But…"

"Goodbye,"

Finally I was able to squeeze more than a single quivering word out.

"I'll find you," I said.

"I know, and I can't wait." She said with a smile. Suddenly she leaned and placed her lips on mine, before suddenly pushing me away and letting go.

I watched as she floated away, until the view was blocked by the immense shark that had narrowly missed crushing me.

With a resolute glare on my face I pulled out the bubbler.

I wouldn't be able to go after Curly until I took down this monstrous creature.

And I was going to let this shark get in my way.

I wasn't going to let anything stop me until I found her.


	5. Chapter 5

I'm back. It's not a huge chapter, but its something. And if everything goes according to plan, there will be a chapter six next week.

* * *

I pull myself out of the water and collapse on the rocky shore.

The push and pull of the current is still threatening to suck me back in, so I crawl away from the subterranean river until I'm on completely dry ground. The only water currents are the rivulets that roll off of me and head back to join the river.

I let out a breath only to immediately suck the air back in greedily. My lungs are raw and painful.

And I'm tired. So tired. Every moment underwater was spent fighting the current that threatened to steal me away.

So tired…

* * *

I open my eyes and sit up. My body is sore and stiff, but dry. I must've fallen asleep without noticing.

I climb to my feet and look around, hoping to figure out where I am. Wandering farther away from the river, I see a familiar sight. Mimiga village lays sprawled out before me.

However, I immediately notice that the place is unnaturally quiet. As I head deeper into the village, I realize that I am in complete and utter solitude.

"Hello?" I call out, but the sound echoes and is lost.

Eventually I find myself at Arthur's house. Heading inside, I see the computer screen blinking. Looking closer, I read the flashing phrase.

_Meet me at Egg #0. I've got something good.-Kazuma_

Following the instructions he left me, I set the destination for the Egg Corridor and step onto the transporter pad.

Around me the interior of Arthur's house begins to fade away as I am moved to another place as if by magic.

* * *

As I walk through the broken tunnel, I note the piles of rubble and the multiple corpses.

"What happened?" I mutter to myself.

Luckily, though, there aren't many monsters left by the catastrophe. Just a few of the smaller flying bugs. It's still a tough fight seeing as I only have my bubbler left.

I make my way through the ruinous cavern, hurrying to reach the other side and find Kazuma. I'm thinking he might be the only one left.

It's just him and me, everyone else is either dead or missing…

A shudder runs up my spine at the thought and I double my speed. Soon I'm running through the tunnel, jumping over rubble and fighting back my racing heart.

I'm all alone, I'm all alone and everyone else might be dead.

Might be dead…

No, I can't think that way.

Finally I reach the end. There's just a small door set in the wall. It seems untouched by the turmoil.

I open it and step through, realizing instantly that I'm all alone. I'm still alone.

But not for long. Kazuma steps into the room through another door and starts to speak.

"I'm glad you were able to get here. The Doctor came with his magic and turned everything upside down. He sent the Mimiga to the plantation, and he took Sue and Dr. Booster to who knows where. It seems it's just me and you now."

The only source of light is coming from the computer screen. It plays off of Kazuma's glasses and gives him a slightly sinister appearance.

"The egg hatched," He says, letting out a grin, "We can get out of here, Quote."

"What do you mean?" I ask, "Where would we go? If we don't stop the Doctor, there'll be nowhere left to go."  
"I've thought about that," Kazuma says, his grin disappearing, "We could go to the mountains. There's no reason he would go there, so we would be left alone."

I think about it, if only for a moment. We could just leave this behind, just leave the pain and the fear and the fighting. We could disappear and not have to worry about this ever again.

But then I think of Curly. She's still here somewhere, waiting for me. I promised I would find her, and I'm going to do that. I can't break that promise.

"I can't do it, Kazuma." I say, shaking my head," I can't abandon them."

"I see…" he says slowly, "Well I do know of another way you can get to the Doctor. It's dangerous, more dangerous than what you've done so far. And I can't guarantee I'll wait for you. But it's a chance, if you're willing to take it."

I nod

"Okay, then come with me."

Kazuma leads me through the door and onto a large balcony. There's a large, scaly, reptilian creature that I assume is the dragon.

He walks to the end of the balcony then stops, pointing up.

"The Doctor is at the top of the island, and you can get there by climbing up here. But be careful, if you fall, you won't stop until you hit the earth."

For a moment I think of changing my mind, of backing out and revisiting his earlier proposal. For a moment I am a coward.

Then Curly's face flits across my mind and I know I can't back down.

I grit my teeth and leap skyward, taking hold of the first handhold. With terrifying and painful slowness, I begin my ascent of the island's outer surface. The winds buffet me as I progress, threatening to dislodge me. But I fight them with all of my strength and keep moving upward.

* * *

Sorry for the long wait, but I'll try to stay consistent from now on.

5/9


	6. Chapter 6

The icy wind tears across the jagged cliff, threatening to throw me off into the open air. But with steely determination, I force my numb fingers to draw me up another few inches. It progresses like this for what could have been forever, fighting against everything just for a miniscule advancement up the vertical plane.

Before I know it, my hand loses its grip and I am left hanging in the open air. The wind stings the abrasions on my fingertips.

With a grunt of effort, I am able to throw my arm back up and take hold of the wall. I stick and am able to make another flurry of progress up the cold hard surface.

My determination burns just hot enough to overcome the pain, and I continue my sheer climb.

* * *

With a gasp, I wrench myself over the edge. Laying there, I pant and let the chilly air fill my heaving lungs. My muscles are burning, aching, protesting the strain I've just forced upon them.

But it's over. What I thought would never end, has.

I'm one step closer to my goal. One step closer to freeing the Mimiga, closer to overthrowing the Doctor.

One step closer to finding Curly, wherever she is.

But as I lay still, trying to recover some semblance of strength, a shadow falls over me. It is vast, and deep, holding back the sun's meager rays and casting a chill over me.

I open my eyes, and my blood freezes.

Before I am able to reach any of my weapons, a giant's fist comes down and wraps around my torso, arms and all. It lifts me into the air like a rag doll and a second fist comes down on my head.

As it makes contact, my vision blurs and the image of the giant fades into a deep, cool darkness.

* * *

I open my eyes a slit, and see the ground sliding away beneath me. The whole world seems to be shaking gently, bouncing up and down to a slow, steady beat.

My vision fails…

* * *

My body becomes alert as it slams into something hard and rough. I feel too weak to open my eyes , so I just lie there listening. Bruises pepper my body, that I can tell without looking. I try to move, to get up, or even to open my eyes, but the effort is too much.

My strength fails…

* * *

Something is touching me, ever so gently. My forehead feels damp and something is pressing down softly across my brow. The bruises aren't so sensitive anymore, and some strength seems to have returned to my body.

With a low moan, I sit up slowly and open my eyes.

Looking around, I see that I'm in a dim cave. There is a single door in one side, but from the thick grate covering the singular porthole in the center, I know it will be locked.

"Oh, you're awake…"

I flinch from the shock that I am not alone, and immediately begin searching for the source of the voice.

After only a moment of frantically looking around the cave, the voice draws my attention to a shape huddled in the corner.

"Over here, it's me, Mahin."

Looking over at the shape, I see that it is Mahin.

"Where are we?" I ask, and the strangled groan that is my voice surprises me.

"It's some type of prison, in the plantation," Mahin says, his voice soft and dry, "Sue was here, too. Just a few minutes ago, they took her."

I feel a portion of my hope fade before he begins to speak again.

"I saw her slip something into your pack, right before they took her," then with a puzzled expression, he continues, "Any idea what it is?"

My curiosity matches his, and I immediately begin to search my pack.

Sitting directly atop everything else is a folded sheet of paper. I unfold it and begin to read.

"Dear Mr. Robot," it begins, "Just after you left for the sandzone, they came and got us. The Doctor and his minions. I guess they got you too. It took a long time, though. I probably won't be there when you wake up, but I need to tell you something. It's my mom, she should be somewhere around here. She was with the Doctor when we got split up. I know that she wouldn't help him, so if you can find her, I know she would help you. I left you a tracker that she gave me while we were on the helicopter. Just follow that, and it should take you right to her. Before that, though, you'll need to get out of here. I found a passage near the back that's mostly covered up. You can probably fit through it. Find my mom, stop the Doctor. You're the last one who can do it. Good luck. –Sue" that's where the main body ended, but below I see a short continuation, "P. password is yrotsevac."

After that, the page was blank.

I stare blankly at the gibberish for a moment, before shoving the paper into my pocket with a feeling of resignation. I decide that if it comes to that, I'll just spell it from the paper.

It doesn't take me long to find the tracker, or the passage, and with that I'm ready to go. But before I begin to climb through the gap in the wall, I remember that I'm not alone in the cell.

Turning to Mahin, I ask him, "Are you coming?"

Through the dim lighting, I see him shake his head.

"I won't be any help. Just… beat the doctor."

I nod and crawl into the passage, disappearing from his sight and leaving the cell behind me.

* * *

My mind runs in a tight circle as I glance down at the tracker in my hand. The arrow is pointing directly ahead of me, straight toward a barren wall.

From somewhere behind me, a coarse growl sounds and I hear crunching gravel.

My first thought: I don't have any weapons strong enough to fight this thing.

Then: Even if I do somehow escape, the tracker is obviously broken. I'm never going to find Sue's mom, and I'll never beat the Doctor.

Finally: If I don't beat the Doctor, I'll never have chance to find Curly. So I need to find a way out of this.

But I don't have any weapons strong enough to fight this thing…

My frustration turns to directionless fury and I slam a fist into the wall. It leaves no damage, but I hear something move inside the solid stone.

A voice speaks from somewhere, and I can't pin its direction.

"What's the password?" it says.

* * *

Here's your chapter, I wrote chapters 6-8 in a sudden writing spree, so you'll be having an update every weekend for at least that long. Also, I realized that my chapter planning was off, so you get a longer story with more chapters.

Yippee!

6/about11


	7. Chapter 7

I feel frozen for a moment, taking in the meaning of the phrase.

Then time starts to move again and my free hand is shooting toward the pocket where I stowed the note. I rip it out of its hiding place and begin to read the odd word aloud, frantically stumbling over the gibberish phrase.

"Y-ROT-SEVAC!" I shout.

For a moment I think nothing is going to happen, but then a portion of the wall opens to reveal a woman with long green hair.

"Hurry!" she says, "Get in!"

I don't waste any time in obeying.

* * *

I sit at the table, watching Sue's mom watching me from the other side of the table. I can see suspicion smoldering in her eyes.

"Who are you?" she asks, "How did you learn the password."

"Sue told it to me," I say, taking out the letter and putting it on the table, "She told me to come and find you, told me that you'd help me."

Sue's mom reads the paper hurriedly, scanning it with her eyes while her lips move slightly. When she is finished, she puts it back on the table and looks back at me.

"I see…" she says slowly, then she becomes suddenly more animated and friendly, saying, "I have a plan, if you're willing to help me."

Her sudden change in character startles me, but I readily agree.

"Whatever it takes to stop the Doctor."

She nods.

"Well I'm going to need you to go get something from outside, in the plantation."

I listen as she outlines the plan. It is relatively simple, and once she hands me a rubbery mask, I am ready to go.

* * *

I run with my arms wrapped tightly around the sprinkler. I was almost able to get away without any conflict, but at the last moment, one of the giants got suspicious.

Suddenly the ground gives away beneath my feet and I'm falling.

I quickly activate the booster, but with the added weight of the bulky sprinkler system I merely glide into a rough landing. I am sent sprawling across the coarse gravel while the sprinkler slides out of my grasp.

The momentum from my fall keeps pushing me until I am up against the lip of a cliff. Fear takes hold of my body and I scramble to try and keep from falling. But all the struggle is in vain.

I fall.

* * *

I open sore eyes and attempt to move a sore body.

After looking around for some time, I realize I am in a small cavern. The only source of light is far away, falling down through a hole in the ceiling.

It's hard to judge the distance, but I'd say it's something near ten meters.

I start to get up and realize that I'm lying in a bed, though it is completely concealed in the darkness.

"You're awake..." A snakelike voice says.

I spin around, feeling the dread build until my prediction is confirmed. A pair of bright yellow, glowing eyes stand just a foot and a few feet away.

A Cthulhu. I've seen a few of them during these past few days, but I suspect they'll never stop creeping me out. There's just something, off about them.

"Yeah," I blurt out, trying to edge myself closer to the light. Maybe if I can get out of here quickly enough, the Cthulhu won't have enough time to… To do what? I don't know. But I don't want to stay here long enough to find out.

"Don't you want to stay…" the Cthulhu whispers, its voice cutting through the air like an oily knife.

"N-no, I'm… I've got to…. Someone's waiting for me." I stammer out.

"But, what about your friend?" the Cthulhu murmurs, "She's just like you. I thought you might know her."

I feel confused for a moment, helplessly confused, but then my gaze lands on a second bed lying directly next to mine. And more importantly, I see the android sitting up in the bed. Even more importantly, I see that the android is Curly.

She is looking at me with confusion etched on her face, but that doesn't matter. I found her, or the Cthulhu found her.

She's been found.

"Curly!" I exclaim, feeling relief flood my mind.

"You do know her, but she doesn't know you. Not right now…"

"What do you mean?" I demand, turning on the Cthulhu. "What happened to her? What did you-"

The Cthulhu cuts me off, its voice sounding angry and aggressive for the first time instead of merely creepy and disconcerting.

"I didn't DO anything to her, you idiot! I found her like this. She's got amnesia and doesn't even remember her own name. She was about to drown when I found her, so you should be thanking me for helping her."

I apologize profusely to the Cthulhu before asking if it (he, she, I don't know) knew any way to help her get her memory back.

"Actually, there is a mushroom that can bring back her memory. It's called the Ma Pignon. The legend says it resides near the Mimiga graveyard."

As the Cthulhu speaks, I grit my teeth and focus myself on this new venture.

I've found Curly, now I just need to get her memory back and it will all be okay.

* * *

Here's your chapter, hope you enjoyed it. I'll have another chapter for you next weekend, so hold in there. I won't be disappearing again, at least not until this story is finished.

7/about11


	8. Chapter 8

My arms strain under the weight of the sprinkler, but I hold on tightly as the booster carries me into the air.

Once my feet touch ground again, I run across it as fast as I can and don't stop until I'm standing before the place I remember finding Sue's mom.

I kick the wall a couple of times before a voice asks, "Password?"

I respond from memory and am rewarded by an open door. I run inside and quickly deposit the sprinkler in the middle of the floor.

"Do you have a teleporter here?" I demand, the excitement audible in my voice.

Sue's mom nods and leads me to it.

"Great, thanks." I say, setting the destination and stepping onto the pad, "I'll be back soon, there's just something I need to take care of."

Sue's mom looks like she is about to say something, but the whole room suddenly begins to shake violently. I see bits of dust and gravel falling from the ceiling.

From the corner of my eye, I see a spark jump out of the teleporter panel and the screen begins to flash and flare a variety of different colors.

Before I can react, the room begins to fade around me and I feel my body freeze in place. None of my limbs respond when I try to move them, and I can hear electricity humming in my ears.

I start to yell but the air is emptied from my lungs and I disappear.

* * *

My body is still humming when I reappear in midair.

I immediately begin to fall and don't stop until I crash into the floor. Once there, I begin to slide down a steep hill, being scraped and cut by spines and other sharp things.

Suddenly I'm in the air again, only this time I come to rest in a body of water. It is freezing and I can barely see. I struggle to get to the edge, to get anywhere as long as it isn't this water.

I climb out of the pool and catch my breath. Looking around, I can start to make out the interior of the cave. It seems somehow familiar, as if I've been here before.

Dismissing the déjà vu, I continue through the darkness, wondering how the teleporter brought me here and hoping that Sue's mom will be alright.

I walk into a door.

In the darkness my head slams right into the wooden panel and conks against it painfully, making a loud noise.

"I'll be there in a second," says a voice from beyond the door.

After a few moments the door swings open, admitting me into a brightly lit room. Holding the door is an elderly man with a half built gun in his hand.

"Have you seen my gun?" he asks me, "It wasn't finished yet, it's dark grey and says Polar star on the side."  
I feel guilt well up inside of me. However, since the gun he is holding doesn't seem to be functional, I confess.

* * *

The Gunsmith holds the Polar Star in his hand, chuckling as he looks it over.

"You really did all that? With an unfinished weapon. I'm impressed. And you say you don't have any weapons left?"

"None as good as that one, nothing that fits my need, " I say, surprised by his friendliness.

"Eh," he grumbles, "A weapon that doesn't do what you need it to, it might as well be broken for all the good it'll do ya'. You know what? Since you got so much good use out of this gun here, I'll go ahead and fix it up for you. Finish it and give it back. Does that sound good?"

I nod, feeling excited. "That would be amazing!" I exclaim, "You'd really do that for me?"

Now he nods, "You need a good weapon, and that just happens to me what I'm the master of making. Just wait for me to make the necessary modifications, then you can go on your way."

The Gunsmith grins and concludes, "Just make sure you use this new gun to take down that doctor you were telling me about. I'd be honored to make a weapon of liberation, of heroics and freedom. Oh, what a thing. Just wait here, I'll be back."

With that, the Gunsmith disappears into an adjacent room with the gun and I hear the sounds of metal on metal and motorized tools working on the gun.

* * *

I climb the hill, walking around the tombstones as I look at the gun in my hand.

I've only fired it once so far, and it was impressive. The blast completely obliterated the big Pignon, leaving only a pile of ashes where it had once stood.

But the gun isn't why I came here. I need to find the Ma Pignon.

Looking around the cavern, I look for something that looks different from the average Pignon. Instead, I find a door. It is mounted in the ceiling and seems nearly impossible to reach…

…without the booster.

Making use of the amazing piece of equipment, I rocket toward the door and quickly open it. Climbing through I find myself in a small chamber, sharing it with a pale white mushroom.

The door slams shut behind me, though not ominously. Just like gravity would make a horizontal door slam when not attended.

"What do you want?" the mushroom growls, "With Me! The Ma Pignon! Who are you to dare intrude on my personal chamber? What do you want?"

"Who am I?" I ask mockingly, "I don't know. But I do know what I want."

"Huh?" the Ma Pignon says, "What's that?"

"I want to feed you to my friend, Curly."

"No," the mushroom says indignantly.

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"I said, no!"

"Yes," I say stubbornly.

"I'm warning you!" the mushroom growls.

I hold my ground. What can a mushroom do to me? Even the big Pignon aren't a problem now that I have this new gun, the Spur.

With an earsplitting shriek, the Ma Pignon leaps toward me, baring ferocious looking teeth in a devilish snarl. Its eyes have turned red, blood red.

This is the most terrifying creature I have encountered.

Ever…

* * *

Sorry for anyone who's disappointed but the romance aspect has kinda been crushed by adventure. I'll try to get it to come back, but it might be too late.

8/12


	9. Chapter 9

I try to duck out of the mushroom's way, but I cry out in pain as a dozen needle-like teeth sank into his shoulder.

"Yur nut tukin muh!" the mushroom growls around my shoulder, its words muffled by the mouthful of flesh.

I feel the Spur drop from my hand as I try to dislodge the thing's grip. I'm able to tear it away, but not without letting it take a chunk of my flesh with it. As the mushroom reels through the air, I dive for my weapon and am barely able to wrap my fingers around the gun before the cavern starts to shake.

I look up at the mushroom, trying to understand what it is doing, but I can't.

The cavern seems to be on the verge of collapsing, rocks and debris are dropping at an alarming rate. For a moment they were just dust, but now stones the size of my head are diving through the air, shattering against the floor and spraying fragments all around.

I raise my gun, but freeze when I realize the Ma Pignon isn't where I saw it last.

Teeth sink into my left wrist. The flesh reverberates with the mushroom's angry growls. I try to shake it off but each swing only multiplies the pain.

Through the haze of agony, a thought occurs and I raise my gun.

At the sight of the polished gun barrel, the Ma Pignon freezes and releases my arm.

"Now now you don't have to do that," It spits out, the words coming so fast that they all seem to be one and the same, "Couldn't we just do this like friends like civilized uh people can't we please?"

"You're not my friend, "I growl, "You bit me."

I pull the trigger.

* * *

I leave the cemetery room, crossing into the main cavern of the Mimiga village. In one hand I grip the spur, ready for anything in this desolate and threatening place, in the other I hold the Ma Pignon's lifeless body.

I can't believe how small it seems now, like it was never alive.

Dismissing the mushroom before any guilt has the chance to grow, I shove the mushroom into my backpack.

Leaping from the ledge, I activate the booster and glide down to the lowest floor of the empty village.

The only way to get back to the plantation is by way of a teleporter, and there's only one of those in the Mimiga village.

But as I walk through the door of Arthur's house, I hear something rustling in a different part of the building. I immediately ready my weapon and stalk slowly from room to room.

When I finally enter the room from which the noise originates, the source isn't readily visible. Instead I am forced to walk further into the room before the intruder becomes apparent.

I walk into the room, my gun at the ready, and find Dr. Booster sitting by a bookshelf combing through the many volumes.

"Doctor!" I cry out. I'd though him to be dead. The last time I saw him he was injured and laying in the bottom of a pit. I hadn't wanted to leave him there, but he'd insisted that I continue on since there was nothing to be done for him.

But as a healthy Doctor Booster stands up in front of me, I dismiss the gnawing guilt I've been feeling about abandoning him.

"You're alive!" I say, hardly believing the words, "How?"

"Well, it's actually quite simple," He begins, his voice slightly more ragged than I remember it being, "After you left, I discovered some adrenaline tablets I'd forgotten about, just sitting in my pocket. Well I took some of those and rebuilt the teleporter, you remember that don't you. I wreck, really, it shouldn't have worked. But what choice did I have?" he finishes with a hearty guffaw.

Then his cheeriness disappears, "Where are the others?"

My joy fades, too, as I answer him, "The Mimiga were taken prisoner by the Doctor, Sue included. I don't know what he's doing with them but they're all at the plantation. Kazuma is waiting near the egg chamber, he was able to get one of them to hatch. At least, he might still be waiting. He said he wouldn't be able to wait for long so there's a chance he's left already."

Doctor Booster sighs and mutters something about Kazuma having always been like that, then he looks up at me and says, "The plantation you say? Give me a second, I should be able to program that into the teleporter and get us somewhere where we can be useful."

Dr. Booster crosses the room and begins to work on the computer terminal.

Within minutes he has it working and the destination is programmed into the teleporter.

* * *

Dr. Booster and I watch over the stony hill, both of us lying flat to avoid being seen. What we're watching is the remnants of the hideout Sue's mom had put together. From this distance I can see that it is no longer sealed, and some monsters are roaming around near the entrance.

"Damn," I mutter, "She was in there, might still be. But I don't know if I can fight my way through that many of them."

Dr. Booster is silent, instead just staring ahead at the broken hideout. His forehead is creased and he seems to be whispering something to himself, but I can't tell what he is saying.

Suddenly the answer comes to me.

"I can't fight that many, but if I had backup…" I begin, darting my eyes back and forth between the destroyed hiding place and the hole broken through the floor just a few dozen meters away.

"Doctor!" I exclaim, though in hushed tones, "Wait here, I can get us that backup."

"Who?" he asks, the confusion apparent on his face.

"A friend I met in the Sand Zone, she can help us. Just wait for me, and don't get caught."

Dr. Booster nods and I climb to a hunched crouch. Then, with a burst of speed, I make a break for the hole.

I climb down into the deep cavern, the apprehension nearly holding me back. I have to get Curly, but I don't want to face that Cthulhu.

Gritting my teeth, I drop into the darkness and slowly let myself down with the booster. Once I am at the bottom, I begin to feel my way through the darkness.

As I progress, I begin to notice an odd glow that permeates the cavern. It doesn't seem to be coming from any one direction, instead originating from everywhere at once.

I press on, ignoring the strange luminescence.

"You're back…" a snake's voice whispers into my ear.

I nearly jump out of my skin, and reply by merely nodding. Looking around, I find Curly sitting up in a bed nearby.

I approach her slowly, she is staring at me.

"Hi, Curly."

A look of confusion crosses her face and she asks, "Who's that? Curly?"

"It's you," I say, "It's your name. You're Curly, Curly Brace."

"Me?" she seems to be having a hard time believing it, "If I'm Curly, then who are you?"

"I'm, uh, I'm a friend. And I'm trying to help you."

I reach into my backpack and pull out the Ma Pignon. "I need you to eat this," I say, handing it to her.

Curly looks at the mushroom, then at me, then back at the mushroom, then shrugs and eats it.

For a moment it seems as if nothing has happened, then Curly's eyes go wide. "I, I remember!" she exclaims, "Quote, I remember everything. That's you! You're name, it's Quote."

Even as I'm taking in the information, Curly leaps up from the bed. Her arms wrap around me and latch in a hug. "Thankyou" she says.

I hug her back and we stand there for a moment.

"Aww… How cute…" the creepy voice says.

"We both jump at the words, releasing each other immediately. At that moment I remember what I left behind up above, and I turn to Curly, saying, "Come on, we've still got some work to do. Do you still have my sword?"

_King's sword_, a thought murmurs sadly, but I ignore it.

She nods, pulling out the sword.

"There'sss alssso thisss," the Cthulhu hisses.

We turn to find it holding an oddly shaped gun in outstretched hands.

Etched in the side of the barrel is the word _NEMESIS_.

"It was with you on the shore," the Cthulhu says.

Curly takes the gun, thanking the Cthulhu, and we leave.

As I said before, there's still more work to be done; and we're the only two left to do it.

* * *

Just a few more chapters from here. I hope your enjoying this

9/12


	10. Chapter 10

The two of us climb out of the dim side-tunnel, our eyes instinctively wincing in the harsh brightness. We quickly become used to the contrasting light and are ready to continue.

Curly hands King's blade back to me and I take it. Since she has this new weapon, the nemesis, she won't need the sword any longer; and I'm the one with its sheath handing haphazardly from a strap on my backpack.

With each of us holding a brand new weapon, we feel confident and dangerous. I know I feel that way, and I can see it in the way Curly is holding herself. There is an edge in her eyes as she looks around at the barren plantation, and I can see her ready to pull the trigger on whatever caused this fertile place to transform into such a wasteland.

Once I have led us to the hole in the ceiling, the one that leads between this underworld and the rest of the plantation, we prepare our boosters for the ascent.

I flip the necessary switch and immediately find myself climbing steadily upward; however, a rough noise draws my attention toward Curly.

With dismay, I realize she is lying face down on the ground, a scorch mark marring her back and soot staining her hair. I drop back to the ground and immediately help her to her feet with an obviously worried, "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Ugh," she moans, her voice coarse and tired, "I don't know, I guess my booster doesn't work too well anymore."

Looking back at the damaged piece of equipment, I mutter in agreement, "I guess not, heh-heh, you need a lift?"

"Sure," is all she mutters before wrapping her arms around me tightly.

I have to turn my face away to hide the crimson splotches as I activate the booster. Thankfully they're gone before a few moments have passed and we are soon floating skyward. It is slower going than before since the booster is carrying twice the usual weight, but eventually we make it through the hole.

Once we are above, Curly releases me and steps away with a shy grin, then she shakes her head and says, "We'd better get going."

I nod and lead her toward where I left Dr. Booster, hoping that it isn't too late.

* * *

I drop down on top of the giant, my foot catching it in the side of its scarred and knotted head. The impact barely affects it and the giant has spun around on me in an instant.

Luckily, I was expecting this and I've already whipped out the blade. It rends through the gnarled red flesh like butter and a moment later the giant collapses into a heap.

Beside the giant I see the other guard flop to the ground, a badly burned mess filling the place where its chest had been.

I look away from the effects of the nemesis, preferring to ignore the gory havoc wreaked by the overly powerful weapon.

"How many more are there?' Curly asks curtly, dutifully reloading the gun while she purposefully disregards its handiwork. She seems no less disturbed by the weapon than I am, however, it _is _useful.

"I saw something like five last time, but that was almost twenty minutes ago. Could be more by now."

She grunts, and begins to stalk toward the ruins of the hidden laboratory. I follow her, holding my weapon at the ready.

When we had arrived back at his hiding spot, Dr. Booster was nowhere to be seen. He had disappeared without a trace, and neither of us knew what to make of it. We both assumed he'd been captured, but I silently hoped for something else. But what?

I drop into a crouch as I lead Curly toward the lab and she does the same. Neither of us knows how many giants there truly are, and we don't want to be caught unawares.

Pressing myself up against the final corner I peek around it and survey the situation. There are two more giants guarding the ruined door, and I can see another through the crumpled archway.

Looking at the two by the door, I realize they are wearing what looks like armor. Thick, obviously heavy strips of metal cover their bodies in plates. Something tells me they won't be as easy to dispatch as the first pair.

Pulling myself back around the corner, I relay my discovery to Curly.

"So just shooting them won't work, will it? Not this time…" is all she says as she stares straight at the dark red sandstone wall we've taken cover behind.

I shake my head and murmur the words, "not likely."

As I watch, Curly reaches out toward the sandstone and breaks off a piece, crumpling it between her fingers until it is no more than dust.

"I've got a plan," she says after a few more moments of silent contemplation, "I'll take care of the guards, distract those two and get them away from the building. You worry about getting inside, okay?"

I start to shake my head and disagree, start to insist we don't split up again, but Curly cuts me off before I've begun speaking.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"Fine," I agree sullenly, "Well will you at least tell me your plan?"

Curly shakes her head, "Not really a plan, more of an idea. A… theory, maybe."

Then she bursts out of cover, firing the nemesis haphazardly at the armored guards. They immediately leave the doorway and head straight toward Curly, the overpowered energy bursts merely slipping off their thick plated armor.

Curly leads them into an adjacent path, away from the lab. I take my chance and run through the doorway, muttering to myself. "I hope you know what you're doing, Curly…"

My first step through the archway finds me face to face with a giant. In one of its giant meaty hands it grips a sickle-like knife with a gleaming edge, and in the other is what seems to be a solid steel club at least six feet long.

My heart stops for a moment as it raises both weapons and prepares to bring them down on me, but suddenly reality returns and I pull the trigger on the Spur. A flash of sizzling light jumps from the gun's tip and digs into the chest of the giant. I watch, disgusted, as the flesh burns away in a roughly circular pattern.

Through the hole I see the face of Sue's mom. She seems to be tied up and badly bruised. However, I also see a splash of fresh blood on her paper-white face which must be from the giant.

She is lost from my sight for a moment as the giant collapses in death, but once I am sure it is dead Irun over to her. Once I've reached her, Sue's mom seems to be out cold. I can't decide if it's from the blood or from the beating, or just from exhaustion, but the main problem is that she won't wake up. I try shaking her and yelling in her ear, but she won't move. And I can't move her, not far enough to be safe, so I reload my weapon and ready myself for an attack at any second.

Watching both the door to outside and the stairwell, I wait tensely for several minutes before anything happens. Then it all happens too fast for me to handle.

Suddenly there are two giants shoving their way through the door, and a third climbing up the stairs with big lumbering steps. I raise my gun and fire three quick successive shots, killing the giants. But once they've fallen, more step up to take their place. Not all of them are giants, some are monsters of different varieties, though I can't remember them all.

All I know is that there were so many of them, all shoving their way into the lab, fighting for their chance to attack me.

And I know I'll run out of ammo soon. I don't understand how there could possibly be this many monsters in just the plantation alone.

I pull the trigger on my gun, and nothing happens. I know it's not empty yet, but still the gun doesn't fire like it should. I drop it quickly and reach back for King's blade. Whipping it out, I cut cleanly through the chest of the nearest giant.

I continue the fight for some time until I can feel the exertion of every movement. The pure agony of each step and every swing of the blade. I press on though, refusing to die here.

As I shove the blade into the chest of an advancing giant, it suddenly begins to fall forward instead of backward. Onto me instead of the ground.

I'm not strong enough or fast enough to escape, and therefore I find myself trapped beneath the impaled corpse. I don't want to be here, don't want to be stuck here. I don't want to die like this, because I know the rest of the giants will be at me any moment.

But they don't come for me. I struggle to free myself from beneath the beast, and after nearly two minutes has gone by, I escape.

Crawling across the floor, I realize I'm alone in the room, sort of.

I'm the only one moving.

The rest of the giants, the ones I didn't kill, are all lying motionless on the floor. Most of them are, one of them is shaking and clawing at his own eyes.

I see something spinning slowly in the center of the room, a small metallic cylinder that wasn't there before. I start to lean over to pick it up, but a voice calls out from behind me, "I wouldn't do that."

I freeze in panic for a moment, until I recognize the voice.

It's Dr. Booster.

I spin around to face the gnarled man, and catch him grinning. "We thought you'd been captured," I exclaim.

He chuckles softly, "Nope, I got away and started working on that when I saw how many of those _beasts_ were on their way. Pretty nifty, huh?"

"What is it?" I ask, looking back at the cylinder.

"I call it an U.V. Pulse Projector. I had to wait until your eyes were close, or shielded by the body of that behemoth, before I could use it, or else you'd have ended up just like them."

I shudder slightly, looking over at the still writhing creature.

Suddenly Curly bursts into the room, startling Dr. Booster. "Looks like you've got it all under control here," she says cheerfully.

"Yeah, I guess. Sue's mom is unconscious though."

"Oh that won't be a problem," Dr. Booster says, "She can't stand blood, I'll just go get her smelling salts."

Dr. Booster disappears into the basement, and I can hear the sounds of him rummaging around through boxes and cabinets.

"So this is it," Curly says, "All that's left is to get there, right?"

"Yeah, then we can make the Doctor pay."

A look of grim satisfaction crosses Curly's face. I can feel my heart lifting at the premise of repaying the Doctor for his misdeeds.

And we're almost there.


	11. Chapter 11

The four of us sit outside the ruined remnants of the hidden lab. Curly and I lean on either side of the aerial rocket that Sue's mom built. There are a few scratches in the metal and a spot of rust, but it seems to be structurally sound. That comforts me, since Sue's mom is explaining how Curly and I are going to be riding it all the way to the Doctor's lair.

She's showed us that too, the gaping hole in the ceiling some seven hundred feet above us. There are traps too, she says, but the rocket should get us past those unharmed.

Right now she is giving us some final pieces of advice while Doctor Booster checks the rocket over one more time.

"We don't have enough materials to build another rocket," she says, "so you'll have to get all the way on your first try. The traps are extensive, but do not vary from the basic press."

I nod, soaking in the information.

"There are about two hundred yards of them, but after that you'll be in the clear."

Doctor Booster steps back from the rocket and says, "Well, it's all in line, as operational as it'll ever be."

Curly and I climb onto the rocket, grabbing onto the edges tightly. Looking over at the pair of scientists, I watch as Sue's mom presses a few buttons on the edge of the rocket.

"Ready in three… two… one!"

Suddenly the ground lurches beneath us and I can see it falling away. Within a few seconds the rocky landscape is nearly two dozen feet away and I can hear one of them yelling up toward us.

"Good luck!"

* * *

"Come on come on come on!" I mutter worriedly, "Faster!"

A press shoots past the rocket, narrowly missing us and sending an audible current of air that shakes the rocket. I grip the rocket harder, muttering a prayer of some sort under my breath. I don't know who I'm praying to but, if it helps me escape this flying deathtrap, I don't care.

Stealing a glance upward, I feel my blood turn to ice.

No more than fifty feet above us is the ceiling, all sharp stone spines and rough edges that will destroy our ramshackle rocket and us along with it. If the speed doesn't cause us to explode on impact, that is.

"Curly…" I say, but my voice is immediately carried away by the wind. I say her name again louder and succeed in getting her attention, only to direct it upward.

"Uh, Quote…" she says, her face having grown visibly paler, "What do we do?"

My mind races, thoughts blurring against each other in a half billion separate attempts to survive this thing.

"Jump!" I growl, my voice somehow seeming much too loud, "We have to jump for it!"

I can hardly believe my ears, hardly believe the words I've just said. Jump? That's insane. But so is staying in this rocket until it stops on its own, and that's what I tell Curly when she objects. Finally she simply nods and tenses, waiting for the right moment.

"Now!" I shout, leaping at the same moment. Time seems to slow down as I hurtle through the air, all too aware of the jagged death waiting just a few feet above me. Somehow I find myself sailing through the air unharmed and landing on a flat surface of rough and uneven stone.

But at least I'm alive, as the rapidly beating heart chest proves. I can hardly breathe, but somehow I manage to look around for Curly to check on her. I find her lying on her back a few feet away from me. Even from this distance I can see the rapid rise and fall of her chest, so I know she's alive.

An inferno tears through the air above our heads, deafening me and knocking me flat against the ground. I find myself rolling across the floor, propelled by the immense shockwave. Around me bits of metal and other rocket-components are falling to the floor.

Finally the motion stops and I'm lying in a heap, moaning in misery and brushing a scrap of burning metal off of my leg. I lie there for almost a minute, hoping that the stillness will make the pain go away, but it doesn't. Eventually I decide to just push through it, so I stand up.

Moving gingerly, I turn to Curly and find her just standing up as well.

"You okay?" I grunt, surprised by how much simple speech hurts.

"Yeah, I guess," she replies, rubbing an angry red burn on her arm, "You?"

"Nothing that won't heal," I say briskly, trying to hide the extent of my discomfort, "Maybe we should walk it off, don't want to waste any time."

I hope she'll disagree and suggest taking time to rest, but when she replies with a tired "yeah, let's go", we head off along the singular dimly lit passage.

* * *

I hold the Spur readily as I walk slowly through the dark, damp air. This corridor is small, barely large enough to admit Curly and I in single file, but somehow I still feel like there are eyes all around us, watching our every move. In my other hand I hold a flashlight, and the beam trembles with each quiver of my hand. I can't tell whether the shaking is because I'm tired or nervous, but the quivering light is putting me on edge.

I can tell Curly is unsettled too, because every time I look back she is glancing around suspiciously. I can see her finger on the trigger, poised and ready to destroy anything that she sees.

This place is dark, this place is creepy, this place is unsettling to the extreme.

As I walk forward one step at a time, I glance around, waiting for any sign of movement. Any sign that we're not alone. I haven't seen anything since we entered, and neither has Curly, but somehow I still have the creeping feeling of fingers on my spine and hidden eyes in the darkness.

Feeling a shiver run up my spine I take another hesitant step forward and fall headlong into open air. Somehow the air seems less stagnant as it rushes past me, but that fact isn't the most important thing on my mind.

I might die.

But somehow, miraculously, I survive. Something big broke my fall and I bounce off of it, falling semi harmlessly to the ground below. I rise to my feet quickly, shaking off the bruises I've gained, and immediately look around with my flashlight.

From above a voice calls, "Quote! Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I call back, "Something broke my fall, wait there, I'll try to find a way back up."

Curly yells back an "okay" and I proceed to search the pit for some means of ascension

.However, as I'm looking I find the thing I'd landed on. Except this time it isn't just a cushion to pad my fall, it's a hulking monolith with dull white hair and shiny yellow eyes. But most important are the long yellow fangs.

"I broke… your… fall…" the beast says, its voice echoing through the whole extent of the cavern.

"'Yeah… and I… uh" I stutter, trying to back away and run without taking my eyes off of the thing, "I… um…"

"I break… the rest… of you!" the creature roars, spittle flying from its mouth in a moist cloud that lands sloppily all over my face.

As I watch, the monolith's eyes turn blood red and its fang filled mouth twists into a wicked grin.

"Kill you… eat… you!"

* * *

Okay well I'm stretching the story even longer to a whopping fifteen chapters. It's actually kinda impressive since this was originally supposed to be like five or six chapters long. Anyway, I'll tell you now that it won't be stretched anymore after this because it just isn't possible. Hope you enjoyed, please review and come back next week.


	12. Chapter 12

Before I can react to the words, a hulking claw shoots toward me. I'm barely able to avoid the grasping fingers and in my backward leap I lose my balance and fall to the floor.

My instincts take control and I immediately roll away from the beast, but even as I come to my feet another four feet from the monster, I hear my gun skittering across the floor.

In the darkness I can only see its vague shadow laying on the floor. I grit my teeth, realizing that the Spur is far away from me, nearly twelve feet, and the monster is standing between us.

From wherever its throat is, I can hear a low gurgling chuckle. Suddenly a massive hand swings down toward me and it's all I can do to escape its grip.

I hear a raspy _whoosh_ and suddenly light explodes in the darkness. My night vision is gone now, everything is the same shade of black.

Then I hear Curly scream.

With frantic blood pounding in my ears, I start running. I know my gun was somewhere in this direction, I just have to reach it.

I also know the monster is there, but Curly is in danger, I can't control myself.

As I run, my tolerance to the darkness begins to rebuild itself and I can make out the colossal shape. It's arms are flailing around, it's whole body is frantic.

Taking my chance, I run between its legs and dart through the opening just as one massive foot smashes down behind me. I almost trip over my gun, but I've found it. Picking the Spur up from its resting place, I spin around and fire wildly.

Every shot hits the monster, I know that by the guttural screams that roar throughout the cavern every time I pull the trigger.

In two minutes of firing, reloading, and firing again, the creature still hasn't fallen. But just a few seconds ago I saw something drop away from it and detach. That_ something_ fell to the floor and disappeared into the darkness of my periphery almost immediately.

The darkness explodes again, and though I am blinded I feel the shockwave as the massive body comes down.

I stand there breathing heavily for a few moments. My hands are wrapped tightly around my gun, ready to fire again at any moment.

Finally I hear a voice in the darkness, calling my name softly.

"Curly," I mutter, still not totally in control of myself.

I find the silhouette that I know to be her and I go to it.

* * *

Curly and I stumble through the pitch darkness which is marred only by the single flashlight in Curly's hand. It only throws a small beam of light, only fighting off enough of the darkness to make the rest seem more oppressive by comparison.

But I'm beginning to see something up ahead.

"Curly," I whisper, "turn the flashlight off."

From the corner of my eye I see her nod and then a click mark's the light's disappearance. Looking up ahead, I squint my eyes and focus on the one small dot of contrast in the otherwise blank black atmosphere.

Up ahead, there is a light. Not the flickering light of a torch, or the pale electric luminance of a light bulb, or even the soft orange glow of lava. Up ahead I can see the steady neutral light of the sun, shining down through the distant cavern mouth.

"That's the…" Curly begins, too excited to speak.

I nod and murmur an affirmative.

We've been down here for what seems like forever, traipsing through pitch black tunnels, moving suspiciously in case we stumble upon a hidden danger. Ever since that hidden pit I've taken to methodically searching the ground beneath my feet. Curly doesn't seem any less affected by this place, and I know she wants out as much as I do.

Disregarding caution, I break into a run. Curly is following me at the same pace, I know by the twin pairs of footsteps I can hear echoing around us. Within moment's we've reached the cavern mouth.

In just another moment we've run through it, laughing and staring up at the sky.

* * *

I throw my weight against the door, fighting back the rabid Mimiga with all of my waning strength. With a flash of burning light, Curly fires the Nemesis at point blank range. The monstrous flare extends from the barrel's tip and connects with the Mimiga in a burst. The monster is thrown backward by the force and I hurriedly shove the door shut. Once it is securely locked and bolted, I step away and let out the breath I've been holding.

I look at the door and see that the burst of Nemesis-fire actually burned a hole in it. The whole edge is rounded in one place and simply gone for a few inches. I look through the gap and see a charred Mimiga shaking itself off, preparing to come at us again.

That door is old, tough wood, so aged and gnarled that it is like stone. Yet it is smoldering and the Mimiga is bounding toward us like nothing happened.

"What do we do?" Curly asks, her tone almost frantic. I keep trying to catch my breath, alternating between watching Curly and watching the beast through the crack in the door.

I pretend not to answer because I'm out of breath, but the truth is I don't know. Every shot I fired at it merely slid off. Curly's gun knocked it back, but apparently didn't damage it in the least.

Then a plan comes to mind, not a plan I want to do, but one that might work.

"Curly…" I say, forcing the words out, "what if-"she cuts me off.

"Quote, you go ahead. I'm going to try and hold them off, give you a chance to get past."

"A-are you sure?" I ask, disturbed to hear my own thoughts repeated.

"Yeah, my gun can at least stun them, I can give you time."

I find myself arguing against the point I was about to make, but could I have really said it? Asking Curly to put her life on the line for me?

"But what if we both went? I'm sure we could get through."

"Maybe, but this isn't a time where _maybes_ are okay. If there's any way to make the chances of destroying the Doctor better, we need to take it. So I'm going to try and keep them off of you. You just make sure you tell the Doctor I said hello."

I grin bleakly, "Alright, I'll do that."

A moment of silence passes, interrupted only by the growling and scratching that is resounding off the hard wooden door.

"If I'm not here when you get back, if you can find me." Curly says, her eyes looking at nothing in particular, "Just go on, get back to Dr. Booster and Sue's mom. I'll try to get back there if I'm still alive, if not…"

I put an arm on Curly's shoulder and she looks up at me. "Don't say that. We're both gonna make it through this. Just promise you'll be here when I get back. Promise it."

"I promise," Curly says, some of the light returning to her eyes, "I'll be here."

"Good, and I promise I'll come back."

For a moment all I can see is her eyes, and then we are drawing together. For a moment our lips meet, then we pull apart slightly. For a moment it seems we'll kiss again, but then we separate.

"Well," Curly says, "Let's get his over with."

I nod, unlock the door, and place my hand on the cold iron knob.

"Ready…"

"Now!" Curly growls with her gun pointed straight at the door. I pull it open and she fires immediately. The rabid Mimiga is thrown backward in the explosion and the two of us are running out the door.

We're together for a few more moments, but then a second Mimiga appears and Curly draws it off.

The last I see of her is a lock of blonde hair disappearing behind a faraway boulder.

I run toward the looming tower, hoping that all of this will turn out okay.

* * *

Just letting you know so you're not surprised when I don't show up next week, I'm moving everything onto an every other week schedule. This is to accomodate the six stories I'm currently working on so none of them go un-updated for whole months at a time. I know this will suck for you guys and my other more central stories, but it's be great for other stories like Broken and What I Forgot that I've only been updating about once per month. Just roll with it, once my story count is back down to three or four I'll be putting things back to the normal every week schedule.


	13. Chapter 13

Fighting for breath I sprint across the rugged landscape. Far behind me I can hear the growls and snarls of rabid Mimiga. A trio of gunshots snaps through the air. I feel a jolt for each blast, a shock that travels up my spine. I know I've abandoned Curly to fight those devastating creatures, and no matter how many times I tell myself it was the only way, I just don't believe it.

Still fighting down the guilt, I reach a tall iron door set into the side of a grand tower. Its great stone walls seem to reach into the sky, stretching beyond the clouds and out of sight.

With a might heave I tear one of the heavy doors open and slip inside. The weight of the door draws it closed immediately, emitting a loud _clang_ that echoes around me.

However, the sound is lost in the cathedral of a room. The far wall is barely visible, and the ceiling could easily be three hundred feet distant.

"Why hello…" a disembodied voice whispers. The sound travels through the air, both sharp and smooth, like an oiled knife blade.

A cloud of inky black mist begins leaking out of the air. The fluid forms into a human shape and Misery steps out of it. "Long time, no see," she says, "Hold still while I kill you."

Misery holds a hand out toward me and a bolt of black fire shoots from her fingers. My instincts react before my mind can and I throw myself out of the way.

As I'm moving I hear the air crackling. I keep moving and continue my roll. Just beside me the ground explodes into a shower of dirt and stone. The shockwave tosses me into the air and I come back down with a sharp _smack_ against the stone.

My lungs are emptied and I find myself gasping for air. Crawling across the flat white floor I can see Misery in the corner of my eyes.

As she readies herself to launch another volley of the black fire, I raise myself on one knee and take aim.

The Spur sends half a dozen shots toward Misery, each one burning blindingly bright in contrast to the fire. Three bolts collide in a startling explosion. Once the smoke clears, Misery has disappeared.

"Heh-heh, peek-a-boo, die!" the voice shrieks from just behind me. I start to spin around but in the movement I notice a massive shadow hovering around me.

Looking up I have just enough time to notice the huge marble block before it begins to fall. Diving away from its impact, I'm barely able to escape being crushed.

I turn to face the block and see that it is fading away slowly but steadily. Within moments it is only faint haze.

I see a silhouetted shape through the block and I fire the Spur. The blazing bursts tear through the semisolid marble and connect with the shape. The shape drops to the floor in a heap and doesn't rise again.

Suddenly the block winks out and is gone entirely.

Walking through the space it had occupied, I look down upon the burned body of Misery.

Looking beyond the corpse, I see a platform beginning to rise from the floor. With a burst of sprinting and some skilled use of the booster, I am able to land on the platform.

I am carried upward as I reload my weapon and catch my breath. Whatever I am to find next, I know it won't be anything as easy to defeat as Misery.

* * *

I stalk silently through the lab.

I can hear someone mumbling in the distance, but it's too quiet for me to understand. The rows of shelves and tables, all laden with books, block my view of the room.

Suddenly I come upon a cage. Peering inside I find myself looking upon a cowering Mimiga.

"D-don't hurt… m-m-me…" the Mimiga whimpers, trying fervently to press herself through the hard steel wall.

"Don't worry," I say quietly, peering around in case the Doctor should appear, "I'm not going to hurt you."

It seems a moment passes before the words sink in. the Mimiga's head whips up and she stares at me through terror filled eyes. "You… y-you're not…" she stammers out. I shake my head slowly and press a finger to my lips, shushing her softly. Though she is mostly immobilized from fear, the Mimiga manages to nod slowly.

As I begin to back away, I realize her eyes seem to be focusing on something else while her mouth moves absentmindedly.

A whisper escapes her lips.

"Doctor…"

Before I am able to digest the murmured word, a large hunchbacked shadow covers the ground around my feet.

"Good afternoon… welcome to my lab," a thunderously smooth voice said, "but I expect this is no time for pleasantries."

Spinning around I find what I expect, the Doctor looming over me, a silver-grey helmet hiding the upper half of his face while a twisted sneer covers the bottom. I raise my gun, hoping to pull off a shot before he does anything, but it does not turn out in my favor.

A red glow envelops the Doctor's outreaching hand and spreads toward my gun. As the shining substance reaches me, I feel a tingling sensation as the weapon is ripped from my grasp.

"It seems that I have achieved your level of combat capabilities," the Doctor snarls, his eyes seeming to take on a reddish hue, "and even surpassed it. Now let's see the extent of the Red Crystal's abilities… shall we?"

As he speaks a glowing crystal, which matches the miasma, floats out from behind the Doctor. It seems to pulse regularly, feigning a heartbeat.

I have no warning before an overwhelming force tears me from the floor and I am launched into the air. I find myself flying aimlessly and in a few more moments my orientation changes and I'm falling back toward the Doctor.

Moving quickly, I activate the booster and it shoves me laterally through the air. A few spluttering coughs are my only warning before the propulsion wanes and I am once again thoroughly affected by gravity.

I crash into one of the shelves, knocking it down in a loud crash. Though I am still trying to find my feet, I can hear the chain reaction of shelf striking shelf behind me. There is no time for that now, so I rush off in the direction I am _sure_ I saw my gun fly.

My luck is with me and I see the Spur laying against the bottom of a shelf, half shoved through the books that cover that level. I am only able to close my hand around the pistol-grip before coarse laughter fills my ears.

"Go ahead!" it roars, "take up that puny implement and fight me. Fight me! Haha! Do your worst, whatever you can manage! I am invincible… a god!"

With a rumble, the stones beneath my feet come alive. They break apart incessantly until I seem to be standing atop nothing more than midair rubble.

With a start I dive away from the spot. As I take my first step I feel the floor dropping away behind me and I make a point to continue my flight beyond that first step.

Still gripping the Spur like a lifeline, I rush out into the forest of shelves, hoping to lose the Doctor's attention in the maze.

As I run through the tight corridor formed by two shelves, the air ahead of me suddenly turns to flame.

My feet skidding on the floor, I stop only just in time. The heat comes off in waves, licking my body in a searing shower. I stumble backward away from the spontaneous bonfire and take off in the opposite direction.

"Haha! Ha… hehe! Heh…" a gurgling voice groans from all directions at once, its volume nearly deafening. "Don't… think yuh… you… cun get ah-way from meh!?" it demands.

A maelstrom surrounds me, composed of tattered, burned, and otherwise ruined books. From the harsh gashes that are quickly crawling across my exposed skin, I decide there must be some glass in the whirlwind.

Nevertheless, my foremost realization is that I _must_ escape this madness. It is tearing me apart by the moment and in a few more I will be nothing more than a pile of bleeding flesh.

"Huh! Heheh… die! Deh, no, eh…" the voice falters, and I can hear a raspy sound taking prevalence. "Don, burn, cut, bleed, uhhmmn, dut, no, you…" it groans with a pained noise coming at the end.

Suddenly the maelstrom ceases and the room becomes still and silent.

I drag myself through the forest of shelves, though most have been toppled already. Something seems to be pulling me along, because I know my body is too weak to keep up on its own.

Moving mechanically, I stumble through the aisles until I come upon something that seems to be a writhing mass of flesh. In some places it has sprouted patches of coarse brownish-red hair, while in others it appears terribly burned and bleeding.

I can just make out the remains of the Doctor's helmet embedded in a place I assume to have been the head.

A wordless moan is coming from the mass, intermixed with gurgling and short bursts of rapid panting though I can't seem to find the source of the sounds.

I raise my gun, take aim, and fire.

Any pity I have for this tortured animal is what makes me pull the trigger and end its life. I know the doctor was terrible, evil even. But nothing deserves _that._

I root through the room until I find a ring of keys, and with that I release the captives. Then I board an elevator that is built into the wall.

The memory of that _thing_ haunts me as I ascend.

* * *

I leave the small chamber as the twin doors slide open. The room ahead is colossal yet somehow manages to seem cramped and foreboding. Stalactites hang from the ceiling like teeth, seeming ready to gnash down and destroy me.

Protruding from the far wall I see the hulking remains of the core. I can see all the damage we inflicted on it, each bullet-wound and blade-gouge. Now it seems little more than a corpse despite the faint glow that emanates from the embedded eye-like red gem.

I approach it, staring up at the thing. I have no idea what to do. I want to leave it alone, leave it alive to support the island, but something nags at my mind. An itch tells me that I should kill it, destroy the corpse, burn the husk, and crush the ashes. Something is coming off of it, something dark and familiar though I still can't put my finger on it.

"Why don't you step away from that," a voice suggests. It is both sharp and smooth, moving through the air like an oiled knife-blade.

I spin around, pulling my gun up as I find myself staring into Misery's eyes.

"You're dead," I say, half angry and half disbelieving, "I killed you."

At that she laughs humorlessly, "Well, I guess not because I'm still here. And I've got someone here with me."

That's the first time my eyes leave her's and I find myself locking gazes with a Mimiga who is not.

Sue

"Let her go Misery," I say coldly. To emphasize and punctuate my demand, I cock the Spur, angling the barrel a hair in her direction.

"Now, now…" she says smoothly, though her eyes tell a different tale, speaking equally of fear and mistrust, "Don't be hasty, we can both have what we want. Just step away from the core and we'll talk."

Still with eyes locked on hers, I step away from Misery and spin my gun to face the decayed husk.

Misery flinches.

"Don't!" she nearly shouts, "You fool! If you destroy that, you'll kill us both. Kill everyone on this rock, even your precious Mimiga. Just leave it be, and I'll let her go."

"There's a catch," I growl, "I know it, there's always a catch."

"No catch."

"So… Misery, you've already forgotten me? Already moved on, working on your own for once, are you?"

"What? Who's there?" she growls, her eyes darting around the room furiously. "Where are you?"

"You've already forgotten your master, have you? Well, I'll have to teach you a lesson for that, a lesson for you all. When you cross the Doctor, _you_ are the one who will end up in a casket. _If_ I feel that generous."

I can see Misery's lips moving quickly, mouthing the words, "No, no, no, no, no…" over and over again.

I'm sure I see smoldering fear in her eyes, just about ready to erupt into full blown panic.

* * *

Wow, just two more chapters. It seems like forever ago when I started this, only expecting it to go on for a month or two. lol, see you back here in two weeks.


	14. Chapter 14

"It seems you've forgotten your master already…" the disembodied voice drones, "It seems that I must remind you."

I see a ghostly red mist appear in the air and Misery steps away from it, seemingly in fear. Suddenly she turns to run, but only makes it a few feet before the mist swoops down and envelops her. She's raised a few feet into the air and her back arches painfully.

I step back away from her in fear, then I run past her. Grabbing Sue by the arm, I make a break for the door. We're able to make it about fifteen feet before a shockwave tears us apart.

I find myself lying face down on the cool hard ground. Picking myself up is a task, but once I find my gun I'm at full energy. I look around wildly, searching for Misery, or Sue, or something. All I can see is endless darkness.

A pinpoint of light appears in the distance, then it grows nearer and nearer until the pinpoint is as large as the sun. I fire the Spur directly into the burning mass and it explodes.

I'm thrown backward, but I'm able to make out the shape of Misery being flung out of the air as well. I climb to my feet and call out Sue's name.

There's no answer.

Growling, I run through the darkness toward Misery. At least I think that's where I'm going, it's too dark in here…

Suddenly a terrifying creature leaps out of the darkness, all fangs and claws. Despite the elongated maw and glowing red eyes, I recognize Misery in the creature.

I fire the Spur at her, but she's too fast to take a direct hit. The best I can do it to clip her leg before she disappears again.

My breath is ragged as I gaze around in the darkness. Any second I can imagine that beastly version of Misery leaping out at me. Those teeth looked sharp.

My imagining comes true and I'm only barely able to escape her gnashing teeth. Misery snarls at me and advances again, glowing eyes locked on her target. I jump back out of her reach and raise the Spur, but she's jumped with me. I feel a huge jaw clamp around my arm just as I'm about to pull the trigger.

But I still pull the trigger.

A flash of light then darkness again, and I know I'm alone. Misery is gone.

I call out for Sue again, but just the same there is no answer. I go searching through the darkness for what seems like eternity. Eventually I find a small white form, huddled in on itself.

Approaching slowly I call out her name again, speaking softly.

No reaction.

I edge closer, now I'm just a few feet away. "Sue?" I whisper, so that she could hear me and no one else. But it seems that she doesn't.

Moving closer, I lay a hand on her shoulder. She flinches.

Sue turns her head and I see a pair of burning red eyes stare at me. I jump back just in time to avoid a frenzied claw. Sue leaps out at me, baring teeth and claws madly.

The moment my feet touch down, I change direction and try to sidestep around her. Sue turns on me and charges. I try to raise my gun but she bats it out of my hand like a toy.

Instead of going after the weapon, I pull out another. Brandishing the blade, I square off against the monster. I charge forward and steel meets claw.

It seems we're at a stalemate. Each time I attack, Sue is able to defeat my onslaught and negate any damage. However, every one of her feral snarling lunges is met with a quick parry and deflection.

Then I see an opening and I take it. Darting in, I drive the blade deep into the creature's body. Sue lets out a scream that pains me to hear. Drawing the sword back out, I step away from her body and watch it turn back to that of a small Mimiga.

Other than a long cut on her chest that doesn't seem very deep, she is miraculously unhurt.

Before I'm able to help Sue, a deep booming laugh fills the air. I look around, frantically trying to find the source but I can't. The voice seems to be emanating from the air itself.

"You've defeated my puppets," it says, "but can you hope to match up against the master?"

Before I can even think to say a word in response, the whole world starts to shake. I'm knocked down by the tremors and I have to fight to keep from falling flat.

Then the shaking stops and a deep red glow fills the room. I look up and find myself staring at a flying monolith. Blood red veins pulse just beneath a surface of stone. A single bloodshot eye stares out of the mass, staring straight at me. As I watch, three segments break off, forming miniature versions of this beast.

A stream of fire shoots from each eye, four in total. I move with all of my speed and only just manage to escape being turned to ash. As I run, more beams fall nearly upon me. They miss by only fractions of a foot, but that's enough for me.

As I run, something stands out to me on the ground. It's far away, and I can only see it as a bump on the ground. However, I make my way toward the thing and find the Spur laying on the ground. Without stopping, I scoop the gun up and hold it in my other hand.

Blade in one hand, gun in the other, I reverse my direction and duck around the deadly beam. One of the miniatures is floating nearby, just a few feet away from the ground.

Once I'm close enough, I leap up and land atop it. From there I leap to the next, and the next, and the next. It's at this point that I realize there's more than three miniatures.

There are close to twenty, all making a ramp up to the main creature.

I run up that ramp, closing the distance by the second. Finally I manage to latch onto the eyelid of the great beast. I'm staring straight into its burning red eye when I raise the Spur. The bolt of energy causes it to recoil and start trying to shake me off.

I hear the sound of beams being fired and I hold my breath. Through the creature's shaking, I am able to evade the beams. However, they wreak havoc on the beast. I'm able to catch glimpses of stony scales being torn away to reveal pink flesh beneath. Once enough of the scales have been destroyed, the beams begin to pierce the flesh.

It's at this point that I begin firing on the miniatures. Each bolt from the Spur is to the miniatures what their beams are to the great beast.

I've taken down fifteen of the miniatures before I feel the great beast lurch. It is falling from the air, headed straight toward the remaining miniatures.

And Sue's unconscious body.

Holding my breath, I drop from the beast's eye and land heavily on the ground. I start running the moment I touch down and reach Sue just moments before the beast does.

I scoop her up and keep running. I've slipped the blade away at this point, so I have the small Mimiga under one arm and the Spur clasped firmly in my hand. I fire on the wall frantically, hoping against hope.

It cracks, then shatters.

Moving just ahead of the falling mass, I leap through the hole and into the air.

* * *

Just one more chapter :)


	15. Chapter 15

The first thing I notice is the pressure. I can feel an immense weight pushing against me from all directions. It's hard to move, trapped as I am, but eventually I'm able to climb to my knees. The weight is still there, pushing against my every move, but now I'm able to make out some dim light. I throw myself against the pressure again and it gives way. I find myself erupting out of a pile of rubble. Far above I can barely make out a hole in the ceiling, sending down light. The walls of this place are all burnished brown and burnt orange, not comforting.

With a start, I remember Sue. It takes only a moment of frantic searching to find the child sized Mimiga. She is lying at my feet, unconscious. I am able to make out a few bruises beneath her fur and there is a spot on her arm that is matted with blood, but I can also see that she's breathing. Crouching, I lift her up and carry her in my arms. I climb awkwardly over the rubble, searching for a way for us to escape. Instead, I find only a trembling pile of rubble.

Panic begins to well up in me as I try to juggle Sue's body while reaching for my gun. The struggle proves unnecessary, though, because Curly appears just as I whip out the Spur. Her hair is splayed across her face and her face is covered with dirt. Just by looking at her I can tell she's exhausted. A slight smile touches her lips as her eyes fall on me. "Quote…" she murmurs out. Curly stumbles forward a few feet, then seems to lose her balance. Without thought I drive the Spur back into its holster and dart forward to her.

I catch Curly with one arm and hold her tightly around the shoulders. I can feel that she's leaning on me completely. She has no strength left, none. "I shouldn't have left you there," I murmur into her ear, just inches away from my mouth. Curly chuckles softly and retorts, "Not like you… had a choice. Let's get outa' here." I nod and begin to look around. We're in a cavern, complete with solid stone walls and floors. I look back up at the hole longingly, but dismiss it. I don't think the booster would carry me up that high, let alone all three of us.

Sighing, I search for another way and my eyes soon fall upon a single passage poking out from a great stone wall. Looking into its depths, I can just make out the flickering light of a torch. Moving slowly, I haul Sue's body and Curly's barely conscious form in the direction of the tunnel. It seems to be miles away, but soon enough we've reached the mouth. My suspicions are confirmed as we stagger past a flickering torch. However, that's not the only thing that draws my attention. Sitting lazily in the center of the corridor is a spectral white dog.

It sits there, haphazardly blocking out path. After pausing to scratch its ear, the dog looks up at me with unmistakably sad eyes. Before I can say anything, a silvery voice fills the air. "Please, you have to help my master. You have to end this." The voice reverberates through the air and I can almost feel it. Before I can dismiss it as absurd, I _know_ that the voice belongs to this dog. "End what? Who is your master?" My voice comes out gravelly and gruff. It disturbs me to hear myself speak like that, as if I haven't had a drink of water for years.

"Ballos…" the voice says sadly, "Ballos is my master, but he's fading now and you need to stop him… please, I'm asking you to kill my master." I swallow, trying vainly to wet my throat. "What do you mean?" is all I manage to cough out. "A long time ago he was a good man," the voice says softly, "He still is, really. He's just twisted. But something's happened and… he's killing the island. It will be destroyed and all of its inhabitants will die. Please…"

I look down at the furry Mimiga form clutched in my arm and I think. I think about the deserted village and the inhabitants we've been working so hard to save. If I allowed this to happen, it would all be for nothing. They would all die, probably us as well. There was only one thing to be done. I nod my head and say plainly, "I'll do it." The dog looks at me somberly and says, "Thank-you. Please, just put him out of his misery. You can leave your friends with me; I'll protect them as I can. My master is just farther down the corridor in the chamber. I've kept him in there this long… Just go."

I nod and lay Sue and Curly down gently against the stone walls of the tunnel. They're both out of it. I only know Sue is alive by the steady rise and fall of her chest, while Curly's eyes are moving faintly beneath their lids. Her mouth has opened slightly and it has lent her face a cool, serene look. Altogether she looks… pretty. At that thought I reach down and grab the Spur from its place. I'm not going to let anything happen to Curly, or the Mimiga, or anyone else. I'm going to stop this catastrophe.

I leave them behind, heading farther up the tunnel. As I progress, I can feel myself growing closer to something immense. There is a forcefulness in the air, and a malicious way in which it flows around me. There is something here, something terrible. Suddenly a tremor wracks the island and I'm thrown to my knees. The Spur almost slips from my grasp but I hang on consciously. Right by my hand I see a hairline crack beginning to form in the stone.

That's when I notice the man sitting in a nearby chair. Filled with shock I leap to my feet, holding tight to my weapon. "Are you… Ballos?" I ask. The man looks at me with dull grey eyes and stares for a moment. "I was, I am, but the question is whether I will be tomorrow." My hand tightens around the Spur and I feel a bead of sweat forming on my neck. That… immensity… it's coming from him, I know it. "Now will you be the one who will finally undo me? Or will you die?"

Impulsively I twitch my eyes and instantly realize we're not in the tunnel anymore. It has become more of a dome shaped cavern. A dome shaped cavern with no way in, and no way out. I look back to the man and find him glaring at me with bared teeth. "I am Ballos…" he said in a guttural tone, "Now, kill me! Or... I shall kill YOU!" As I'm still taking in the meaning of the phrase, Ballos launches himself toward me in a sudden tackle. I'm barely able to escape the attack by throwing myself to one side.

I climb to my feet quickly, questioning this old man's great speed. However, I almost immediately feel the floor begin to shift beneath me. My gaze falls downward and I realize I'm standing on a pile of old bones. There's no knowing how deep the pile goes, but that's the least of my problems as the bones surge upward and knock the Spur from my grasp. I'm toppled backward, but I roll and eventually land back on my feet. I regain my balance just in time to watch the Spur sink into the ocean of bones.

With a suddenly quickened pulse, I tear out the blade just in time to slice an attacking skull. It shatters and falls to the ground in a _poof_ of grey dust. I fight off a spine, then a shinbone, a hand, then the skeletal remnants of a wing. Even as I destroy a bone, another jumps up in its place. There seem to be millions upon millions of new adversaries just waiting to take their shot at me. Sweat it pouring down my arms, trying to loosen my grip on the blade. I hang on though, literally for dear life. If I lose the blade now…

Then suddenly the onslaught stops. Feeling confused I look down and realize I'm standing on packed dirt and stone. No more bones, just the plain floor of a cave. I'm about to start celebrating when I hear a sharp crack cut through the air. Without thinking I throw myself out of the way and barely evade a bolt of searing lightning. I roll across the ground and escape the devastating explosions caused by two more bolts. I climb to my feet just as a third bolt is being launched at me. Instinct takes over and I strike at the bolt with the blade.

I cringe as it makes contact, but amazingly the bolt reverses its direction. The flare of lightning is sent directly toward Ballos. He has no time to evade the unexpected attack and it stabs into his chest with a crackling sound. He is thrown backward and I can smell something burning. However, the screaming sounds I hear tell me that this isn't over. They seem to be cries of rage, not pain or death. Ballos isn't done here. I can see him rolling about on the ground, clutching desperately at the point of impact.

His cries echo through the cavern, and I can feel it beginning to shake again. More violently this time. Large stones are beginning to fall from above us. Some as large as my fist, some as big as my head or even my whole torso. If any of these strike me I'll probably be done for. Suddenly a tremor wracks the chamber and a large rift opens out of the floor. Tongues of flame spew from the depths of the hole and do so sporadically. I turn my attention back to Ballos and find him on his knees. He is panting desperately.

The man spits out a wordless shriek and I see his body beginning to change. His skin is bulging, shifting. Ballos groans and I know it is from pain. There is a large scorched mark on his chest, and the flesh beneath seems to be undulating and bending. Suddenly the man is enveloped in a blinding flash of light. I can still hear him screaming while I shield my eyes. When I know the light has diminished, I look back toward Ballos and gape. The form of a man is gone, replaced by a massive boulder-like mass. The only recognizable part of Ballos is his snarling face melded into the stone.

For a moment I think of attacking with the blade, but that's only a moment. Instead I reach for the heavy weapon strapped over my shoulder. I raise the long tube of a barrel and gaze through the mounted scope at Ballos. I fire a rocket, then a second, then another.

And another

And another

And another and another and another

Each successive missile flies toward him and bursts with savage ferocity, but only succeeds in marring him slightly. A barely visible crack here, and a loose stone there. I begin to aim for the cracks and as the next rocket makes contact, a large chunk of Ballos's mass falls away. Grinning to myself, I fire relentlessly at the boulder, aiming for the cracks whenever I am able. The result is tremendous. Ballos's main body is little more than a ravaged core while bits and pieces of his shell lay around the room. I'm about to fire what could be a killing shot when something slams into me with such massive force that I can feel the rocket launcher being torn from my viselike grasp as I fly backward.

Looking upon my assailant, I see an animated chunk of Ballos's shell. It is floating in the air and seems to have grown a large singular eye. As I watch, the smoldering heaps around the room begin to rise. I growl and look around, hoping to find something better than the blade to fight them with. However, there is nothing. It seems the rocket launcher and the Spur have completely disappeared. Too bad, I liked the Spur. I draw the blade and face the nearest of the eye-boulders. It charges forward and I shove the blade hilt deep into the eye.

The eye-boulder drops to the ground and I'm just barely able to withdraw the blade in time to face the next ones. I'm able to kill the next eye-boulder quickly in much the same way. However, after that I am faced with two, then three, and so on. The animated rubble crowds around me, trying desperately to smash me while I thrust and block with the Blade. Through luck and agility, I manage to escape grievous bodily harm for the most part. I find myself facing down the last eye-boulder, readying myself to attack or to receive its attack.

Something slams into me from my left side and I know something bad has happened. For just a moment my left arm flares up, then I suddenly can't feel it anymore. There's no time to contemplate the injury though, as I spin and stab the eye-boulder. After that I quickly dispatch the final one and examine my arm. The skin has been torn away, showing bone in some places and leaking a milky white fluid from the whole area. My entire left arm has become numb, and I'm grateful for that. I don't think I could keep going through that much pain.

I start to look back at Ballos, but the island starts to shake violently and I am thrown down to one knee. I look up with no little effort and find myself watching boulder-sized rocks come falling down from the ceiling. Where they land, the boulders tear through the floor like tissue paper and disappear. Cracks are spreading across the walls and in some places there is glowing magma leaking through. In others, fierce geysers burst through the brittle stone. Everything is going crazy now. I need to stop this. As I run toward Ballos, I can only hope the destruction is contained in this room and not spreading throughout the island.

Holding tightly to the blade, I leap into the air and activate the booster. I shoot through the air toward Ballos. He seems on the verge of death. As if just one more well placed blow would finish him off. As I near, I find just the place. Landing atop Ballos's crumbling head, I find myself staring at a spot of glowing, pulsating flesh among the scaly stone. Yes, this should finish him off. I raise the blade above my head, ready to drive it in.

Ballos shifts beneath me and I lose my balance. I go sliding down, struggling to find some kind of handhold. It's difficult with only one hand, but through desperate scrambling I finally catch myself. The only problem is that as I fell, I lost my grip on the blade. It is now balancing near me, ready to fall any moment. And I only have one hand. I think frantically about what weapons I have left in my backpack, and I realize that they won't be strong enough. I need the blade to finish Ballos off. So I leap and reach for the weapon.

I manage to wrap my fingers around the hilt, but I am unable to hold on to the stone surface. With two disabled arms, the most I can do is try to climb with my feet. However, it takes all of my strength just to keep from falling. But… wait… there's a toehold. A tiny one, but it exists. If I can just push off of that with enough strength, I might be able to get back on top. But if it breaks, there's a good chance that fall will kill me. I take that chance and leap.

The toehold snaps and I fall. However, at that same moment I feel something close around my other hand and I look up to find Curly Brace trying to pull me back up. "Heheh, I guess you… need my… help… after all…" she groans while struggling. I feel a huge weight lift off of my shoulders as Curly helps me back up and we crawl toward Ballos's weak spot. Curly's okay, and I'm okay, this is all going to be okay. That's what I'm thinking as we both climb desperately to our feet. We both lock our hands around the blade's hilt, and with a twin pair of desperate roars, we drive the blade into Ballos's skull.

We have little time for reuniting or celebrating as Ballos falls out of the air. The best I can do is to release the blade and dive toward Curly. I wrap myself around her and activate the booster. Together we're heavy, and it strains to lift us, but we fall slowly to the ground. Ballos is slammed against the ground and he shatters, throwing rubble throughout the chamber. Curly and I collapse to the ground with a pair of stupid grins.

"I guess it's over," I say tiredly.

"Yeah, I guess it is," she sighs back.

Before I can think to say anything else, Sue comes running in and hugs me. With her face pressed into my stomach, the little girl sobs and mirrors my statement.

It's over. It's finally over.

But somehow it isn't. With a roaring sound, the walls of the chamber begin to collapse. Boulders are falling everywhere, and the destruction from before has returned in full power. I just know we'll die now, but I'm too tired to do anything. I just lay back down and wait…

"Hey, you're here! Come on! Unless you wanna get smashed or somethin'!" a familiar voice shouts. I look up and find myself staring at Balrog. He has a wide grin plastered on his face and is reaching one hand down toward me. I grin back weakly and murmur a tired thanks, then reach for his hand. "Hold on, Sue, and Curly…" I mutter. I feel Sue hug herself around me and Curly intertwines her fingers with mine.

The jolt of Balrog's leap shocks me into full alert. I can feel the wind flying past us like a hurricane while I struggle to hold onto Curly. Then suddenly we're in daylight and the air is calm. We're standing on ground, and no one's trying to kill us, so that's a plus.

Looking around I find Doctor Booster and Sue's mom standing near a helicopter. The two of them have grins just as big as Balrog's and I don't blame them. It's over now, all over.

"Thank you, thank you both for stopping the Doctor." Sue's mom says, "I know we couldn't have done it without you."

I can't think of anything to say, so I just smile like the rest of them.

"Come on Sue," she says, "We'll have to get going. Me and Dr. Booster were able to get this helicopter working."

Sue looks at her mom, then back at us and says, "Thank you, thank you so much."

I grin and mutter that it was "no problem."

Sue hugs me, then she hugs Curly, and then she even hugs an obviously embarrassed Balrog, before saying goodbye and joining her mother and Dr. Booster.

We watch them fly away and disappear from the island.

"So what now?" I say finally, "Will you be going back to the Colons?"

Curly surprises me by shaking her head and saying, "No, I talked to that dog a little before going off after you. Now that Ballos is gone, there won't be any more monsters, so they won't need me. So I don't know, probably find a nice place with a view, settle down."

"That does sound good," I say with a slight grin, "I think I've had enough excitement for two lifetimes."

From the corner of my eye I see Curly blush slightly and say, "Well, then maybe you'd… I don't know… come with me? I guess I… I've grown… _fond_ of you, and I think we should stick together."

I feel a blush starting to sneak onto my face as I say, "I'd like that. I've grown… fond… of you too."

I can't think of another word to say, but the hand slowly slipping into mine tells me I've said enough.

I feel my stomach do a backflip as Balrog's loud voice blares out, reminding me of his presence. I can't _believe_ we just said all that in front of him.

"Hey, uh…" he says awkwardly, "since I used to live in that tower," he points at the mountain of rubble on the far side of the island, "I guess I'm kinda, uh, homeless now. So, well, I don't suppose there's, uh, room for one more?"

Curly and I exchange a look and laugh, "Sure," we say together.

Balrog lets out a big laugh and picks each of us up in one of his huge hands. Leaping into the air, he jets off toward the horizon. "So, where ya' wanna go?" he asks.

Curly chuckles and shouts happily, "Anywhere!"

I can't help but smile and look over at Curly, then up at Balrog, then back at Curly. It's over, all over. Now its just the three of us with all the time in the world to be happy. No one to save, no evil to fight, just us.


End file.
